49ers roster: 5 players who may follow Mike McDaniel to Dolphins

With the Dolphins hiring former 49ers offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel as head coach, these five Niners may end up following suit.

San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan perhaps already understood his offensive staff would look a lot different in 2022 in the wake of his now-former offensive coordinator, Mike McDaniel, rising in league ranks as a potential head-coaching candidate.

As such, the Niners inked former Los Angeles Chargers head coach Anthony Lynn to serve on Shanahan’s staff as assistant head coach.

And now, potentially, as McDaniel’s replacement as coordinator.

McDaniel was named as the Miami Dolphins‘ next head coach on Sunday afternoon, first reported by both ESPN and NFL Network and then officially announced by the Dolphins themselves not long thereafter:

San Francisco experienced something like this a year ago when its former defensive coordinator, Robert Saleh, left for the New York Jets’ head-coaching vacancy, creating some speculation whether or not he’d bring with him some soon-to-be-former 49ers to assist with the rebuild.

Few ended up actually following, though, yet that doesn’t automatically mean the same situation will play itself out in Miami with McDaniel.

Here are five players who could jump ship, either via NFL free agency or otherwise, from the Niners to the Dolphins in the wake of McDaniel’s hiring.

49ers Player No. 5: Tight End Ross Dwelley

McDaniel is expected to install his own version of Shanahan’s West Coast-hybrid offense, and an easy player to bring along to help mentor other players on Miami’s roster will be San Francisco’s No. 2 tight end, Ross Dwelley.

Dwelley saw a notable decrease in use in 2021, having just four receptions for 51 yards compared to the 19 for 245 seen the year before, although Pro Bowl tight end George Kittle was notably more healthy last season than the year prior.

Regardless, Dwelley is a free agent anyway, and it doesn’t seem likely the 49ers bring him back.

There’s another reason from the Dolphins’ vantage point, too, as their top tight end, Mike Gesicki, is a free agent. While Miami could slap Gesicki with the franchise tag, having a contingency plan in place would be a smart move.

Plus, having someone who’s served in a variety of roles on the Niners’ own depth chart should serve McDaniel well in his new digs.

49ers Player No. 4: Wide Receiver Mohamed Sanu

Like Ross Dwelley, San Francisco probably wouldn’t be overly concerned about losing another depth-chart player who didn’t provide much of a statistical impact over the course of 2021, veteran wide receiver Mohamed Sanu, whose injuries over the course of the year opened up the door for fellow wideout Jauan Jennings to assume the No. 3 role.

Yet a number of other 49ers receivers, especially Brandon Aiyuk, credited Sanu for helping them with their developments, and that’s an aspect Mike McDaniel would surely appreciate as he looks to mesh his own offensive system with regards to the wide receivers Miami both has and will look to onboard this offseason.

Sanu, who’ll turn 33 years old by the time the 2022 regular season kicks off, might be little more than a tertiary option on a depth chart that’ll already include veteran DeVante Parker and others. However, the Dolphins offense managed only 5.6 pass yards per attempt last season, which ranked 26th in the league.

Any infusion of help will likely be received well, and Sanu can surely assist with that.

Don’t be shocked if McDaniel chooses to use Sanu as another one of those veteran mentors to help aid Miami’s wide receiver development this upcoming season.

49ers Player No. 3: Running Back Raheem Mostert

The Niners wouldn’t mind if Mike McDaniel plucks Ross Dwelley and Mohamed Sanu away from them this offseason.

They might mind just a little more if veteran running back Raheem Mostert joins the fray, though.

True, Mostert missed all but the 2021 season opener for San Francisco last season, suffering a knee injury in that game that ultimately required season-ending surgery and subsequently opened the door for last year’s rookie tailback, Elijah Mitchell, to assume RB1 duties for Kyle Shanahan moving forward.

But, with fellow 2021 rookie Trey Sermon not cementing himself as a clear-cut option, as well as runners Jeff Wilson Jr. and JaMycal Hasty possibly not in the team’s long-term plans, re-signing Mostert had some merits.

McDaniel, the 49ers’ offensive guru for the ground game, is going to want a player who can help spark a Dolphins offense that finished 30th in the league in rush yards last season (1,568), and while Mostert has a long history of injuries and will turn 30 years old by the time the regular season begins, he at least could provide some know-how and big-play ability for a Miami team that desperately needs more production on the ground.

49ers Player No. 2: Left Guard Laken Tomlinson

The Dolphins have spent considerable effort in recent years trying to upgrade their offensive line. But despite those attempts to infuse talent into this unit, Miami’s O-line still ranked 30th in run support and 19th in pass protection, according to Football Outsiders.

While landing some tackles might be one of the Dolphins’ top offseason priorities, it wouldn’t be a shock at all if they looked to purge the best Niners offensive lineman available this offseason, veteran Pro Bowl left guard Laken Tomlinson.

Tomlinson, who has been a mainstay and constant for San Francisco’s O-line since being acquired in 2017 and hasn’t missed a start since, will be looking to cash in on a lucrative free-agent deal this offseason.

Related Story: 4 teams that could steal Laken Tomlinson away from 49ers

Yes, the 49ers would love to retain Tomlinson. But with a league-high $63.7 million in projected cap space, according to Over the Cap, Miami wouldn’t have any issues whatsoever outbidding a team like the Niners to steal one of their better linemen away.

San Francisco would likely absorb the would-be losses of Ross Dwelley, Mohamed Sanu and Raheem Mostert.

Losing Tomlinson, however, would hurt in a big, big way.

49ers Player No. 1: Quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo

It’s highly likely Mike McDaniel ended up getting the job in Miami because he was convincing enough in his interviews there to suggest to the Dolphins’ brass he could get the most out of their quarterback, Tua Tagovailoa.

A McDaniel-like system could work. But, at least depending on how much influence McDaniel has, it wouldn’t be the most shocking thing ever to see him make a move that’d ultimately benefit the 49ers in a more indirect way.

A trade for Niners quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo.

Ironically, and with Jimmy G all but guaranteed to be on the move this offseason, a trade between San Francisco and Miami would help the 49ers recoup some of the draft assets used in last year’s move between these two teams that allowed the Niners to grab 2021 rookie quarterback Trey Lance at No. 3 overall.

Granted, for this to happen, the Dolphins would have to be sold on the idea Garoppolo is an upgrade over Tagovailoa, and they’d also have to potentially pass on some of the other options available to them at quarterback this offseason.

Still, Garoppolo would have that keen understanding of McDaniel’s offense, which would be advantageous, and at least San Francisco would have a clear trade partner potentially eager to make the deal.

If Miami felt that way, of course.