Analyzing Dolphins New Head Coaching Candidates, Latest Front Office Shakeup

The Miami Dolphins were busy on Tuesday.

The team made an expected shakeup in its front office and added a few new names to its list of head-coaching interview candidates. Additionally, the team also held its first in-person interview, talking with former Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski.

Here’s the latest on the team’s front office and coaching search.

Dolphins Latest Head Coaching Interview Requests

In addition to interviewing Stefanski, the Dolphins made a few new interview requests Tuesday. The team added Chargers defensive coordinator Jesse Minter and Raiders defensive coordinator Patrick Graham to its list.

Graham was the team’s defensive coordinator under Brian Flores during the 2019 season, so it’s not shocking that it is interested in talking with him. Graham has been in Las Vegas since 2022, surviving the firings of Josh McDaniels and Antonio Pierce.

Pete Caroll also retained him this past season before he was also fired at the end of 2025. Graham's survival of so much turnover means he clearly has a ton of respect in the coaching ranks.

The more interesting name, at least to us, is Minter. The Chargers being eliminated this weekend means Minter is free to interview immediately, and he has reportedly been requested by eight teams.

He’s been the Chargers’ defensive coordinator for the last two seasons and has done an excellent job. Under Minter, LA has finished 11th and fifth in total yards allowed the past two years.

He’s also on the forefront of one of the most popular defensive schemes in the league, falling under the same coaching tree as Anthony Weaver. Both run Mike Macdonald’s defense, which is a huge reason the Seahawks were the NFC’s top seed this year.

Minter took over for Macdonald at the University of Michigan and helped them win a national championship. Minter joins Jeff Hafley, Chris Shula, Kelvin Sheppard, and Graham as defensive play-caller candidates looking for their first head coaching jobs that the Dolphins will interview.

There’s a lot to like with Minter, so it’s not remotely surprising the Dolphins want to give him a look.

Updated List of Coaches Dolphins Have Requested to Interview

- Kevin Stefanski, Former Browns HC
- Klint Kubiak, Seahawks OC
- Jeff Hafley, Packers DC
- Chris Shula, Rams DC
- Kelvin Sheppard, Lions DC
- Jesse Minter, Chargers DC
- Patrick Graham, Raiders DC
- Robert Saleh, 49ers DC/Former Jets HC

Dolphins Fire Assistant General Manager Marvin Allen

The Miami Dolphins are officially moving on from assistant GM Marvin Allen, The Athletic’s Dianna Russini reported on Tuesday. This was an expected move, given that the new general manager, Jon-Eric Sullivan, likely wanted to hire his own staff.

Additionally, this aligns with owner Stephen Ross’ statement that the team needed “comprehensive change” when announcing Sullivan’s hiring. The Dolphins are done with carryover from the last era — it’s time for a revamp.

We saw shades of this when the team fired the co-directors of player personnel, Anthony Hunt and Adam Engroff, shortly after parting ways with Chris Grier on Halloween.

Allen has been with the team since 2019 and is a respected football mind with extensive experience. The last name from the previous front office we haven’t received confirmation on is interim GM Champ Kelly.

He interviewed for the permanent job, but didn’t make the cut. Teams will sometimes keep interim GMs around through the draft to help integrate the new staff with the information they already collected about players for this year’s class.

So, don’t be surprised if there’s no word on Kelly for a bit.

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