The Latest on the Dolphins DC Search: One Candidate Out
Another former Mike McDaniel colleague has been identified as a candidate for the Miami Dolphins defensive coordinator opening, according to reports.
The latest is Houston Texans linebackers coach Chris Kiffin, who worked as pass rush specialist for the San Francisco 49ers in 2018-19 when McDaniel was their run game coordinator.
Kiffin, the son of longtime NFL DC Monte Kiffin and the brother of University of Mississippi head coach Lane Kiffin, joined Houston in 2023 after spending three seasons as defensive line coach with the Cleveland Browns.
ONE CANDIDATE NOW OFF LIMITS
Bobby Babich was a highly regarded linebackers coach for the Buffalo Bills and they clearly thought he was ready to become a defensive coordinator and that's why they promoted him to that position Tuesday afternoon.
Babich, who will turn 41 in July, has been an NFL assistant since 2011 with stints with the Carolina Panthers and the Cleveland Browns, sandwiched around one year as defensive pass game coordinator at Florida International University in Miami.
Babich and Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel worked together in 2014 when both were on the Browns coaching staff. Babich was an assistant defensive backs coach.
TUESDAY, JANUARY 30 EARLY AFTERNOON UPDATE: WEAVER THE NEXT CANDIDATE
McDaniel seemingly is taking a look at one of his former coaching colleagues as a possible candidate for the Miami Dolphins' vacant defensive coordinator position.
According to The Athletic, the Dolphins will interview Baltimore Ravens associate head coach and defensive line coach Anthony Weaver for the position that became open when Vic Fangio left Miami to join the Philadelphia Eagles.
McDaniel and Weaver, a former NFL player who had previously served as the 2020 defensive coordinator of the Houston Texans, worked together in 2014 when they were members of Mike Pettine's coaching staff with the Cleveland Browns.
McDaniel coached the Browns receivers for that one season and Weaver coached the Browns' defensive linemen from 2014-15.
Weaver was interviewed for the Atlanta Falcons and the Washington Commanders head coach vacancies. He has spent most of his career as a defensive line coach, but he's served as a defensive coordinator for that one season in Houston, and served as a run game coordinator in 2021 with the Baltimore Ravens, and was named associate head coach last season.
In his one season coordinating the defense in Houston the Texans allowed 375.2 yards per game, which ranked the Texans 20th in the NFL that season. But the Texans allowed 6.39 yards per play defensively, which ranked last in the NFL and also allowed the most points in the NFL that season (29) — Houston ranked second against the run, allowing just 91.6 rushing yards per game.
Prior to coaching, the former Notre Dame standout played defensive end for the Ravens from 2002-05 and the Texans from 2006-08, recording 257 tackles and 15.5 sacks during his career. He started 98 of the 103 regular season games he played in.
Whether he'll get the defensive coordinator job likely depends on how he interviews, and what McDaniel's looking for.
OTHER DOLPHINS DC CANDIDATES
Weaver now joins Brandon Staley, Leslie Frazier, Ryan Slowik and Anthony Campanile who have been interviewed for the vacancy or are scheduled to be interviewed.
Campanile, who coached Miami's linebackers in 2023 and has been on the staff since 2020, and Slowik, who served as a senior defensive assistant in 2022 and coached the outside linebackers in 2023, are the only in-house candidates who have interviewed so far. It's possible that secondary coach Renaldo Hill could be added to the in-house candidates being interviewed.
Staley and Frazier are the only coaches in this batch of known candidates with head coaching experience.
Frazier went 3-3 as the interim coach of the Vikings in 2010 before earning the job on a permanent basis that offseason. He went 18-29-1 as the permanent coach in Minnesota between 2011-2013, and he got the Vikings to the playoffs in the 2012 season where they lost in the wild-card round with backup quarterback Joe Webb as the starter because Christian Ponder suffered an elbow injury.
Staley was last seen in the NFL as head coach of the Los Angeles Chargers, who fired him in December the day after an embarrassing 63-21 Thursday night loss against the Las Vegas Raiders.
In two-plus seasons as Chargers head coach, Staley compiled a 24-24 record with a playoff appearance in 2022, one that ended with a 31-30 first-round loss against the Jacksonville Jaguars in a game the Chargers led 27-0.
