Tampa Bay offensive coordinator Josh Grizzard returns to his old stomping grounds, where he spent seven years. Hence, when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers visit the Hard Rock Stadium in Week 16, it’ll be more than just a playoff race showdown. Ahead of this big-ticket matchup, Grizzard reflected on his most recent spell in the 305 and had some warm words for Miami head coach Mike McDaniel.

“I started there in 2017, so it was only two years with Mike, but I’ve said it in here a bunch – I would not be in this position that I’m in without Mike,” Josh Grizzard said, as reported by FOX reporter Greg Auman.

Grizzard started with the Dolphins in 2017 and spent three seasons as a quality control coach before being promoted to wide receivers coach in 2022, when McDaniel became the head coach. With Grizzard involved in the offense, Miami ranked first in yards per game (401.3), passing yards per game (265.5), and yards per carry (5.1) while finishing second in points per game (29.2), yards per play (6.5), and yards per pass attempt (8.0) in 2023.

Speaking about this successful tenure, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ offensive coordinator addressed how Mike McDaniel ensured the team remained cohesive despite constant organizational instability.

“There was essentially a new coordinator every year in Miami; there were coaches getting fired essentially every year,” Grizzard said. “It’s a new system, and you see a lot of different ways of calling plays, designing offenses, route running, YAC (yards after catch) ability, and marrying the run and pass game. Listening to Mike explain that, and the staff that he brought in, and the system he had, personally brought all that together.”

Looking back at that time, it truly felt like a seismic shift for the Miami Dolphins as they made the playoffs for the first time since 2016 and even had Miami’s first back-to-back playoff appearances in more than 20 years in 2022 and 2023. However, times have changed since then as the Dolphins currently have a 6-9 record and are out of playoff contention, leading to concerns about McDaniel’s future in Miami.

Are the Miami Dolphins moving away from Mike McDaniel?

After the Miami Dolphins’ embarrassing 45-21 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals, there was speculation that head coach Mike McDaniel may not be safe after all. However, according to ESPN, this doesn’t seem to be the case, as Adam Schefter revealed McDaniel would be retained for the 2026 season.

“As for Mike McDaniel, I know people are saying he’s safe,” ESPN’s Adam Schefter said on the Pat McAfee Show. “I don’t think they’ve made any decisions there yet about his future. He might be safe, but he might not. I think that is still playing out in real time. Nothing has been decided there, and we’ll see how that plays out over time. Nothing is decided there.”

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With these reports, it’s clear that Mike McDaniel remains trusted by the Miami ownership to continue in his role at least for the foreseeable future. But the Dolphins head coach will need to finish the season on a positive note to ensure he gains the trust of the fans by the time the next season rolls around.