The Miami Dolphins have fired head coach Brian Flores after the team’s 33-24 win over the New England Patriots in Week 18.
There were likely going to be questions about the status of general manager Chris Grier as well, but reports Monday morning declared him safe at this point.
Now, Miami joins the Chicago Bears, Minnesota Vikings, Jacksonville Jaguars, Denver Broncos, Las Vegas Raiders, and likely more as teams who will be in the market for a coach.
While there are sure to be numerous reports and rumors floated around in the coming days and weeks, these are six names that the Dolphins may be interested in bringing in to be their next head coach.
Brian Daboll, Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator
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Daboll will be one of the most sought-after coaches this offseason after what he’s done during his time in Buffalo. Since joining the Bills staff in 2018, Daboll has helped Sean McDermott turn the team from a laughing stock to a perennial playoff contender.
It’s also important to note that Daboll was at Alabama during Tua Tagovailoa’s freshman season when Tagovailoa came in for Jalen Hurts in the National Championship and was awarded the MVP.
Eric Bieniemy, Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator
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After Patrick Mahomes has his MVP season in 2018 and the Chiefs won the Super Bowl the following year, there were a lot of discussions about Bieniemy being an obvious coaching option. Since then, the chatter has quieted a bit despite the Chiefs making it to the Super Bowl last season and being the second seed this year.
Bieniemy would provide Miami with a strong offensive coach that they’ve missed under Flores, so this move would make some sense.
Nathaniel Hackett, Green Bay Packers offensive coordinator
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After three seasons as the Jaguars offensive coordinator, including 2018 when they got to the AFC Championship, Hackett left for Green Bay for the same role that he’s been in for three years. Since arriving in Green Bay, they’ve been the first seed in NFC twice and second seed once.
Hackett has helped put together a solid offense for the Packers, but there’s always the question of how much was him, and how much was Aaron Rodgers being the quarterback?
Todd Bowles, Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive coordinator
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Bowles was with Miami from 2008-11 where he served as the assistant head coach, secondary coach, and eventually interim head coach. That was before he spent four years as head coach of the Jets and the last three as Tampa Bay’s defensive coordinator.
If the Dolphins could find a really solid offensive coordinator and allow Todd Bowles to run the defense and the locker room, this could end up being a solid move.
Kellen Moore, Dallas Cowboys offensive coordinator
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After a six-year career as a backup quarterback, Moore transitioned to quarterbacks coach for the Cowboys in 2018. He was promoted to offensive coordinator in 2019 and has remained in the position since.
In two of his three years in his current role, Moore has had a healthy Dak Prescott, but this is season is his first time making the postseason.
It might be tough for a team to pry Moore away from Dallas to make him the youngest head coach in NFL history this offseason because Jerry Jones seems intent on keeping him around the Cowboys. Last offseason, when the Boise State job opened up, Jones gave Moore a new contract to make sure he wouldn’t leave.
Kevin O’Connell, Los Angeles Rams offensive coordinator
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Let’s play everyone’s favorite game – which coach in Sean McVay’s tree will be the next plucked to a different organization. Right now, that answer seems like it’s going to be O’Connell.
This year, the team’s first with quarterback Matthew Stafford, the Rams finished 12-5 and in fourth place in the NFC. They had the fifth-most passing yards per game (273.1) and seventh-most points per game (27.1).
McVay’s coaching tree hasn’t led to a Super Bowl just yet, but with Matt LaFleur constantly making the postseason with the Packers, Zac Taylor earning his first appearance with the Bengals, and Brandon Staley building the Chargers, the returns have been positive so far.
Josh McDaniels, New England Patriots offensive coordinator
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I hear the collective groans from everyone reading this just by the sight of another Patriots’ coordinator. Just hear me out. McDaniels had a tough time in Denver when he was the team’s head coach, but he was young and inexperienced. We’ve seen some of the best coaches thrive in their second shot.
Despite how poor New England’s quarterback play was in 2020 and how inexperienced it was in 2021, McDaniels was able to make do. This year, with Mac Jones under center, the Patriots were in the top half of the league in passing yards per game and sixth in scoring.
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