prior to the 2018 season, and for the second time under this ownership, after qualifying for the playoffs, the head coach left the position before the following season. on august 16, 2017, head coach cory ross was announced as the head coach for the cif expansion quad city steamwheelers. victor mann was named head coach, who had led the texas revolution to the league championship in 2017. despite being a centerpiece in the beef's off-season marketing campaign, days before the opening of the 2018 season, the omaha beef announced that mike bonner would be head coach for the upcoming season with mann never coaching a game for the beef. four games into the 2018 season, though a public announcement was not made by the organization at the time, players confirmed that mike bonner was removed from the head coach position and rod miller, the assistant head coach and former beef head coach, was appointed head coach before omaha's fifth game of the season. bonner was head coach for only four games, posting a 1–3 record, including losing the last three by a combined five points. miller became the seventh person to hold the position over the previous six seasons. midway through the season, omaha suspended starting quarterback anthony iannotti. iannotti led the beef to the 2017 champions bowl, where he started 14 out of 15 games. iannotti was later released. omaha finished the season losing four out of the last five games and posting a 4–8 record, tied for second worst in franchise history with the 2014 season. the beef failed to qualify for the playoffs for the fourth time in five seasons, the longest stretch in franchise history.