Report: Dolphins Have Front-runner to Replace Mike McDaniel As Head Coach

Miami will give a top defensive coordinator a second look.

Jeff Halfey has shepherded two strong defenses in his Packers tenure. | Dan Powers/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Dolphins are reportedly a step closer to naming their next head coach—having zeroed in on an intriguing front-runner.

Packers defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley is a front-runner for the Miami job, according to a Saturday afternoon report from Tom Pelissero of NFL Network.

Albert Breer of SI added that both Hafley and former Browns coach Kevin Stefanski will take second interviews with the Dolphins, with Stefanski then peeling off to meet with two other teams. Per Pelissero, four other teams want second interviews with Hafley “but he appears to be the leading candidate” in Miami.

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Hafley, 46, previously served as Boston College’s head coach from 2020 to ‘23. He went 22-26 before returning to the professional ranks of his own volition.

Before that, Hafley worked as Ohio State’s defensive coordinator in 2019, helping the Buckeyes hold opponents to 13.7 points per game in a superb season.

Miami fired coach Mike McDaniel on Jan. 8 after four seasons in which he went 35-33.

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