The future of Dolphins, Browns coach lies in the left hands of their QBs
The similarities couldn’t be more obvious.
Both are from Hawaii. Both are left-handed. Both are quarterbacks.
And yet, the differences between the Miami Dolphins’ Tua Tagovailoa and the Cleveland Browns’ Dillon Gabriel are extensive when it comes to the circumstances circling their first matchup. On one end of the spectrum, you have Tagovailoa, the sixth-year veteran who seemingly has the world on his shoulders after a disastrous beginning to his season, while Gabriel, a rookie preparing for just his third start, has his entire NFL career ahead of him. What ultimately unites them, however, will be that Sunday’s game could seemingly be a fight for their respective coaches’ future.
At 1-5, coaches Mike McDaniel and Kevin Stefanski have been deemed on the hot seat. Stefanski, a two-time coach of the year, has finished above .500 twice and led his team to 1-2 record in the playoffs. McDaniel, meanwhile, had a tremendous, 20-14 start to his Dolphins coaching career that included two playoff appearances.
Then the injuries hit in 2024. Cracks in the foundation started to show, and the Dolphins finished with an underwhelming 8-9 record. A dismal start to 2025 only further fueled rumors of his dismissal, despite owner Stephen Ross reported willingness to stick with the coach.
“I don’t think my job title lends anybody to benefit by me sitting back and reflecting,” McDaniel said when asked how he viewed his tenure as head coach. “I have problems to solve. My job is a problem solver, quite literally. There are new issues to address and attack, and I’m very much focused on — you don’t control necessarily the circumstance or situation entirely on your own ever in life. I’m trying to be the very best head coach for this team who needs their coach to be focused on the stuff that they actually can contribute value to them which is preparation, conviction, detail on their craft and ability to communicate how all individual pieces connect to one.”
Tagovailoa somewhat finds himself in a similar situation. After a tumultuous start to his NFL career, the former Alabama standout found success under McDaniel. And despite being a little more than one season removed from his four-year, $212.4 million extension, his play in 2025 has led to questions whether he could still lead the Dolphins to their first playoff win in a quarter of a century.
Throw in his recent postgame presser flub that saw him first call out teammates for their late attendance of player-led meetings, then subsequently apologize for doing so and the situation looks even more bleak.
“I got to look at myself as the leader protecting the team,” Tagovailoa said Wednesday in his public apology to teammates. “I don’t feel like I did that to the best of my abilities. I felt like I let the emotions of the game get to me after the game, and that’s something that I can learn from as a leader on this team and what happens in-house should be protected and none of that should’ve gotten out.”
A loss to the Browns could be the catalyst for not only in-season coaching changes but also questions about Tagovailoa’s future considering McDaniel’s potential replacement could want to draft his own quarterback.
Gabriel, however, doesn’t have the same type of pressure. Sure, the 24-year-old has learned the hard way that the national media often seemingly craves controversy — think back to how Gabriel’s comments during halftime of a preseason game was perceived as a shot at fellow rookie signal caller Shedeur Sanders – yet he hasn’t established himself as the clear-cut franchise quarterback. In his two starts, Gabriel has completed 56% of his passes for 411 yards and three touchdowns.
Still, Gabriel has looked the part of an NFL quarterback, according to McDaniel, something that’s not easy, regardless of experience.
“He shows us what he’s capable of and certainly makes some very accurate throws to windows and the team facing him, so for us this week, our job is to make him look like a rookie,” McDaniel said, adding that Gabriel “looks like” he belongs as a starting quarterback. “What does that mean? That means 11 convicted players playing together and making it hard on him, but don’t get it twisted, just because he’s a rookie doesn’t mean that he can’t spin the ball, see the field and take advantage of opportunities that you give him. The main thing to me is don’t allow him to get comfortable and find a new level of success at this level.”
Like Tagovailoa and McDaniel, Gabriel likely has a similar affinity for Stefanski. The coach, after all, was part of the brain trust that selected him in the third round of the 2025 NFL Draft, something initially seen as a bit of a reach considering his 5-foot-11-inch height and age.
“He finds a way to get it done,” Stefanski said of Gabriel after selecting him. “And that’s so important. There’s quarterbacks, different shapes and sizes. You have to be able to move in the pocket. You have to feel the pocket, you have to find throwing lanes, you have to change arm angles. All that comes innately, I think, to players based on how they’ve kind of played the game their whole life.”
Therein lies the source of Gabriel’s pressure: can he play well enough to save his coach’s job? It’s a tall task to put on a rookie’s shoulders, yet his youth somewhat shrouds him from the criticism that Tagovailoa will face in a loss. Even more accurate: Gabriel’s future in Cleveland likely doesn’t depend on Stefanski as much as Tagovailoa and McDaniel in Miami.
Regardless of Sunday’s outcome, tough questions lie ahead for both franchises. A win over a fellow 1-5 team will not totally eliminate rumors of firings and potential trade scenarios. It will, however, provide a temporary salve amid what can only be described as rough starts.
