Don’t look now, but the Dolphins have turned it around.

Mike McDaniel‘s squad has won four games in a row and five of their last six. The offense has looked good in spurts with at least 30 points three times in that stretch, but the defense has been the highlight. The Dolphins allowed 28 points in their loss to the Ravens – many of which came off offensive turnovers – and has not allowed more than 17 otherwise. They have also forced 10 turnovers in their last six matchups.

Miami’s turnaround has quieted the chatter around the team parting ways with McDaniel. Those prognostications seemed to be a reflection of the Dolphins’ poor performance more than their desire to move on from the 42-year-old head coach. Reports out of Miami consistently indicated that McDaniel could be retained in 2026 regardless of the team’s finish.

That decision, of course, lies with owner Stephen Ross. His vision for the Dolphins’ future will shape what appears to be a pivotal offseason for the franchise. In the past, he has seemed willing to tank and rebuild the roster, but he does not seem inclined to do so now. Ross fired general manager Chris Grier before the trade deadline partially because Grier wanted to tear down the roster and restart, per Jason La Canfora of The Washington Post.

If Ross isn’t looking to rebuild, then it stands to reason that he will keep McDaniel for at least one more season. The Dolphins are already stuck with quarterback Tua Tagovailoa for 2026 due to his untradeable contract, so they might as well retain the coach they hired to pair with him.

That is a common perspective around the league, according to La Canfora, as even teams who are in need of a quarterback will not want to take on his $54MM guaranteed compensation for 2026. The Dolphins seem poised to run it back with McDaniel and Tagovailoa, which may give them one last chance to save their jobs. However, Ross could already have given up on this iteration of the Dolphins and may be waiting for the 2027 offseason when he can cleanly move onto a new head coach and quarterback at the same time.

Ross’ decision on Grier’s replacement will also be a key factor in the Dolphins’ offseason. They will likely get renewed interest in assets like Jaylen Waddle and De’Von Achane, but McDaniel may not want to move on from key cogs in his offensive scheme. Moving those players would indicate that McDaniel and Tagovailoa are having a lame duck year with very little chance of sticking around in 2027.