Detroit Lions have tons of competition for OC candidate Mike McDaniel

It remains to be seen whether former Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel is the Detroit Lions’ leading candidate for their vacant offensive coordinator job, but the team is clearly interested. What’s also clear is that McDaniel remains a strong candidate not only for other offensive coordinator jobs, but his window is clearly open to land another head coaching job fresh off his exit from Miami.

According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, McDaniel will interview for four head coaching jobs this week. He’ll chat with the Cleveland Browns, Atlanta Falcons, Tennessee Titans, and Baltimore Ravens over the next few days. Pelissero also notes that McDaniel’s interview with the Lions is currently scheduled, but he has not provided an actual date.

Despite the Dolphins never reaching full expectations under Daniel, it’s clear he is still valued as both an offensive mind and a potential team leader. A disciple of Kyle Shanahan, McDaniel turned Miami’s offense into a top-10 unit (by yards) in his very first year after the Dolphins sported bottom-10 units in seven consecutive years. In 2023—McDaniel’s second year—the Dolphins offense ranked second in points and first in yardage. However, due to injuries to Tua Tagovailoa and other factors, McDaniel’s offense finished in the bottom half of the league in each of the last two seasons—though they still managed to fight their way to a 15-19 record over that span.

McDaniel is one of three known, available candidates for the Lions’ offensive coordinator job. Seahawks pass game coordinator Jake Peetz and Ravens quarterback coach Tee Martin are the other two. The Lions reportedly showed interest in David Blough, but he officially received a promotion to become the Washington Commanders’ next offensive coordinator.