NFL Hot Seat: Week 11

As the NFL season approaches its late stages, the outlook for many teams is becoming clearer. For some, that clarity is an ugly one, suggesting that changes may be imminent as the season slips away.

With Week 11 in the books, here are some of our picks of potential changes we believe could be on the horizon.

Mike McDaniel, HC, Miami Dolphins

Coming into this season with Super Bowl aspirations, the Dolphins have limped to a 4-6 record under Mike McDaniel.

In McDaniel’s third season at the helm, the Dolphins are out of playoff position after finishing with an 11-6 record last year and being annihilated in their Wild Card matchup at the hands of the eventual Super Bowl-winning Chiefs.

McDaniel is obviously a brilliant football mind, but even possessing a roster full of talented offensive weapons and some of the fastest players in the NFL, he has not managed to lead this squad to maximize its potential.

A team with a receiving core of Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle should not rank 27th in the NFL in points for, even with the team’s issues at quarterback.

It cannot be ignored that four of the team’s ten games have had one of Tyler Huntley, Skylar Thompson or Tim Boyle take significant snaps under center, with Tua Tagovailoa once again going down with a concussion.

But, with a solid defense and extreme talent on the offensive side of the ball, there is simply no excuse for the Dolphins possessing sub-.500 record. Even in the games that Tagovailoa was able to take the field, the Dolphins are only 3-3, despite Tua leading the league in completion percentage.

These issues fall back on coaching. The Dolphins have already finished playing the easier half of their schedule, and more difficult matchups are on the horizon. Although the Dolphins would not make the move to fire McDaniel easily, it should at the very least be considered. -Dominick Pizzelanti

Zac Taylor, HC, Cincinnati Bengals

There’s no doubt that this season of frustration has led to the Bengals being one the most underwhelming team this season all things considered. After their Sunday Night Football loss last week, Cincinnati is now 4-7.

While they aren’t completely out of contention at this point, the ice is as thin as it's ever been. If the Bengals miss out on the playoffs again, which seems more and more likely to happen, expect changes to be made.

The first and most obvious change that comes to mind is the head coaching position currently held by Zac Taylor. While Taylor has been a great coach for them in his tenure, all things considered, the last two seasons have been underachievements.

Taylor took the Bengals out of a rebuild, even making the Super Bowl in 2021. This feat set a new bar for Cincinnati, but now it seems a bit too high.

Last season they went 9-8 and missed the postseason under Taylor, but were without Joe Burrow for a large portion of the year. In other words, them missing the playoffs was justifiable.

This season, there is no excuse. The Bengals have had their key pieces healthy, and quite frankly have some of the most talented players in all of football. Joe Burrow has even been one of the best quarterbacks statistically this season as he leads the league in yards, touchdowns, and QBR.

The frustrating aspect to the Bengal’s season has been that six of their seven losses have been one-possession games. In other words, they could easily have a much better record than they currently do.

However, at the end of the day, they don’t. That’s the harsh reality for Cincinnati. For Zac Taylor, it could possibly be the end of an era if things don’t immediately turn around.

Taylor by no means is a bad football coach, but once again, changes will need to be made if the Bengals fall flat again.

Cincinnati won’t be moving on from their star quarterback so Taylor sort of gets the short end of the stick by default. The clock has been ticking against the Bengals all year, and time may just be up. -Alex Harkins

Deebo Samuel, WR, San Francisco 49ers

The entire 49ers team has been underwhelming through 10 games this season. The offense, especially, hasn’t been clicking like they have in years past. It seems as though the stars are aging and hampering the team’s success.

Particularly Samuel, who has been a major focal point of the team for five-plus seasons, hasn’t been as impactful as usual in the overall offensive gameplan.

Samuel had his best statistical season in 2021 when he recorded 1,405 receiving yards and six receiving touchdowns. He also added 365 yards and eight rushing touchdowns on the ground.

Samuel was unstoppable for the 49ers in their playoff run that season and proceeded to land a three-year, 73.5 million dollar deal. Since then, he has regressed drastically.

He wasn’t a prototypical receiver coming out of South Carolina and his versatility is what has made him so effective since his rookie campaign in 2019.

A big reason for this regression is due to opposing teams now knowing how to gameplan against his skillset. He’s become a player who can’t be effective anywhere.

He had 1,000 yards from scrimmage in 2023 but has slowly lost his ability to help the team’s receiving in 2024. He can’t create separation and he can’t provide any spark for the offense.

His ability to explode and find the cut lane off-screen and reverse plays is just not as good as it used to be.

Samuel’s contract expires after the 2025 season, however, the 49ers will need to make a decision on what they will do with him this upcoming offseason.

Trade rumors surrounded Samuel last offseason and the way he’s playing this season those rumors basically become a guarantee once the offseason comes around.

We’ll see what the future holds for Samuel in a 49ers uniform but with quarterback Brock Purdy’s contract extension on the horizon, it doesn’t look bright. -Owen Daszko

Dominick Pizzelanti is a second-year student dual majoring in broadcast journalism and Spanish. To contact him, email dqp5565@psu.edu.

Alex Harkins is a second-year student majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email arh6278@psu.edu.

Owen Daszko is a first-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email opd5073@psu.edu.