The frenzy of the NFL offseason has already started, and the Denver Broncos haven't even played their first playoff game yet.
Of course, this is a part of the offseason Denver Broncos fans are extremely familiar with: The coaching carousel. Although at this point, it's less of a carousel and more of a Wild Wild West sort of frenzy. The most recent shocking move was the Miami Dolphins' firing of head coach Mike McDaniel, despite the fact that he was assisting in their search for a new general manager.
The Dolphins' decision to fire McDaniel has led to a number of teams' fan bases clamoring for him to be their next head coach or offensive coordinator, and one idea in particular would be a nightmare for the Denver Broncos (and the rest of the AFC West).
Mike McDaniel going to the Chiefs as offensive coordinator would be nightmare scenario for Broncos, AFC West
Hear me out pic.twitter.com/VPDbmolARe
— SleeperNFL (@SleeperNFL) January 8, 2026
The football gods need to prevent this one from happening, I'm afraid. The last thing the Denver Broncos -- or any team in the AFC West, for that matter -- needs right now is Mike McDaniel bringing his offensive expertise to the Kansas City Chiefs.
This might not seem like the biggest deal, because the Chiefs already have Andy Reid as the mad scientist in charge of their offense. But we know Reid also isn't afraid to delegate, and with Matt Nagy getting so many looks for head coaching gigs around the NFL (another odd development), wouldn't McDaniel be the ideal guy to replace him?
McDaniel is not just a QB whisperer, but someone who knows how to orchestrate a running game that will drive defenses crazy in today's NFL. The emergence of Patrick Mahomes was the driving force behind NFL teams adopting Vic Fangio's response to Mahomes, which was running a lot of two-high safety "shell" looks defensively.
The response from offenses has been a quick passing game with yards after the catch, as well as better running games. The running game renaissance of 2024 brought running backs back into the spotlight and shed even more light on the things McDaniel has always done well, dating back to his time with Washington and San Francisco as an assistant.
It was fully on display this past year as the Dolphins' creative run scheme offensively helped them stay relevant despite injuries and horrendous QB play down the stretch. McDaniel is the architect of all that, and giving the Kansas City Chiefs that kind of edge in the running game could help unlock the "old" Patrick Mahomes.
Especially with Mahomes coming off an injury and likely having to adapt his game a bit going forward, the last thing the Broncos want to deal with when they face off against the Chiefs is an elite running game on top of dealing with Mahomes.
The idea of McDaniel bringing that element to Kansas City is something that needs to simply not happen, for the Broncos' sake and others.