Detroit Lions OC Candidate: Exploring pros and cons of former Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel
This is our second piece in what will be an ongoing series, evaluating the pros and cons of the offensive coordinator candidates connected to the Detroit Lions’ vacancy.
Who: Mike McDaniel
Age: 42
Background and coaching history: McDaniel served as a Denver Broncos ball boy for several years while growing up before attending Yale as a preferred walk-on.
Upon graduation, McDaniel immediately transitioned into coaching. He has two decades of NFL experience, starting as an intern for the hometown Broncos in 2005.
Initially connecting with 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan as assistants in Houston in 2006, the two stayed attached through stops in Washington, Cleveland and Atlanta, before Shanahan scored the San Francisco job in 2017 and brought McDaniel along in an elevated capacity.
McDaniel spent four seasons (2017-20) as the 49ers’ run game coordinator before earning a promotion to offensive coordinator in 2021. After one season in that role, he was hired to be Miami’s head coach, where he stayed four seasons before he was fired earlier this week.
Why he’d be a fit
It almost goes without saying that McDaniel possesses one of the game’s sharpest offensive minds. There’s a reason why Shanahan, who is arguably the president of that club, kept McDaniel close for more than a decade.
After working a long stretch as a low-level assistant and position coach, Shanahan awarded McDaniel a more significant role when the pair arrived in San Francisco: Taking charge of the team’s run game.