Dolphins move forward with McDaniel, Moore amid reports of Harbaugh’s interest in job
The Dolphins — in advanced stages of their search for their next head coach — on Monday moved forward with plans to conduct second interviews with two offensive coordinators of playoff teams amid reports that past Dolphins coaching target Jim Harbaugh would like to return to the NFL.
Cowboys offensive coordinator Kellen Moore and 49ers offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel remained under serious consideration for the Dolphins’ head coaching job, and both were scheduled for their second interviews early this week.
McDaniel’s second meeting with the Dolphins reportedly was set for Monday, following a short initial interview that left Dolphins brass intrigued and impressed by his offensive mind.
NFL Network reiterated Monday that McDaniel and Moore are the two finalists for the Dolphins job.
But Harbaugh remains an option that cannot be ruled out. After second conversations with McDaniel and Moore, owner Stephen Ross must decide whether he’s more comfortable with Harbaugh, who has the type of head coaching experience that Ross’ previous three head coaching selections have lacked.
Neither McDaniel nor Moore has head coaching experience, but Ross historically has liked giving young assistant coaches a chance.
Harbaugh, who was pursued by the Dolphins for their head coaching job in 2011, would have interest in the Dolphins job this time around, according to outkick.com.
The Dolphins — at least as of Monday morning — apparently had not offered the job to Harbaugh, McDaniel or Moore.
On the day he fired Brian Flores three weeks ago, Ross — a Michigan alumnus and big donor to the school — said: “Jim Harbaugh, I love Jim Harbaugh. He had the opportunity once before to come to the Miami Dolphins. But he’s at the University of Michigan, as everybody really knows.
“That is the school that I graduated from and I’m very involved in it, and I’m not going to be the person that takes Jim Harbaugh from the University of Michigan. I hope he stays there. He is a great coach.”
But since then, Harbaugh spoke with the Minnesota Vikings, and ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported Monday that “he conveyed legitimate interest in the Vikings’ head coaching job during his interview with the team... with Minnesota coming away feeling Harbaugh is ready for a return to the NFL. As of now, he’s still considered in the mix for that job.”
Harbaugh will meet with the Vikings on Wednesday, per NFL Network.
For now, Harbaugh remains at least a possibility, because of his NFL resume and Ross’ admiration for him. The Dolphins could turn to him if Ross doesn’t emerge from the McDaniel or Moore interviews with a strong conviction about either man.
Harbaugh, 58, went 44-19-1 and made one Super Bowl (a loss to Baltimore) in four years as an NFL head coach (2011-2014). He’s 61-24 in seven seasons at Michigan, including 11-2 last season.
McDANIEL INTERVIEW
Though McDaniel didn’t call plays for the 49ers, he is regarded as a bright offensive mind.
The 38-year-old Yale graduate began his coaching career as a Denver Broncos assistant in 2005 and worked for five NFL teams, including as an offensive assistant for Houston and Washington and Atlanta and wide receiver coach for Washington and Cleveland.
He joined the 49ers as run game coordinator in 2017 and was promoted to offensive coordinator before this past season. But coach Kyle Shanahan continued to call the plays.
“Mike [McDaniel]’s a good dude,” Shanahan said. “He’s really good at what he does. He’s himself. He’s one of the smartest coaches I’ve been around, and he’s been huge to our team and huge for me throughout my entire career.”
San Francisco quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo said McDaniel has come up with creative elements for the team’s offense.
“Mike [McDaniel]’s awesome,” Garoppolo said. “I don’t want to say he’s the mastermind behind everything, but he’s kind of that guy in the background that doesn’t say a whole ton to a lot of people, but his mind is always moving.
“The ideas he comes up with are so fresh and new. [He’s] a cool guy to have on the staff. He’s a lot smarter than most of us. He dumbs it down for us and kind of gets us all on the same page and it’s just a good combination with him and all the rest of the coaches.”
Moore, meanwhile, was the Cowboys’ offensive coordinator the past three seasons after serving as quarterback coach in 2018. The Cowboys led the league in yards per game and points per game this past season but scored only 17 in a playoff loss to San Francisco.
As a player, Moore was a backup quarterback for the Lions and Cowboys after a record-setting career at Boise State.
In 2019, Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott called Moore “honestly one of these young genius phenoms in the game. ... He’s special. He knows a lot about the game, just the way he sees the game, the way he’s ahead of the game. He can bring a lot to us, a lot of creativity.”
Besides the Dolphins, Moore, 33, also has interviewed for the head coaching positions with Jacksonville, Denver and Minnesota.
This story was originally published January 31, 2022 at 5:16 PM.
