Breaking Down 18 Head Coaching Candidates for Miami Dolphins

It took the Miami Dolphins a few extra days compared to most teams, but the team decided to make a head coaching change on Thursday.

Mike McDaniel is out after four seasons at the helm, and the team will be conducting a general manager search along with a search for a new head coach.

The general manager search is expected to wrap up within the next couple of days, and that person will likely have a huge say in who the new head coach will be. With that in mind, we’re casting the widest net possible for potential candidates.

We’ll break them down into a few categories: Retreads, first-time head coaches, and coaches with direct ties to the Dolphins (on the staff in somewhat recent years). We’re leaving no stone unturned, so you’re as prepared as possible for the upcoming search.

Retread Coaches for Miami Dolphins

John Harbaugh, Former Ravens HC

Let’s start with the obvious golden goose of this coaching search. The Ravens and Harbaugh parted ways on Tuesday, which has some interesting ties to the Dolphins’ timeline for firing McDaniel.

Several reliable national reporters have indicated the team hasn’t made contact with Harbaugh, but that should change soon. Of course, it’s also of note that one of the team’s GM finalists, Chargers assistant GM Chad Alexander, has a long history with Harbaugh.

The pros of hiring Harbaugh are obvious. He’s an excellent culture setter with an extensive track record of success. There are some cons, though.

Harbaugh is older (63) and isn’t a play-caller. That can lead to struggles retaining talented staff down the line. Plus, Harbaugh struggled to get over the hump with an elite QB in the AFC the past few years.

Regardless, Harbaugh is our top candidate and an excellent fit for what the Dolphins need.

Kevin Stefanski, Former Browns HC

Stefanski was fired by the Cleveland Browns Monday and is one of the hottest names in the cycle. His overall record with Cleveland was never great, but he did get that team to the playoffs twice.

Things took a turn for the worse when the Browns traded for Deshaun Watson, which is probably one of the worst trades in NFL history. How responsible is Stefanski for that? We might never know, but it put huge restraints on his offense and the roster as a whole.

Stefanski has head-coach experience, a lot of success crafting offenses, and comes from the Sean McVay coaching tree, meaning he’ll have a nice pool of candidates to hire from for his staff.

Obviously, the downside is that Stefanski had some rough seasons with the Browns, and even handed over play-calling duties this past season.

Still, we like Stefanski for the Dolphins.

Mike McCarthy, Former Packers/Cowboys HC

Did you forget about Mike McCarthy? Well, he’s technically an option for the Dolphins. He took a year from coaching after he was let go by the Dallas Cowboys after the 2024 season.

It should be noted that McCarthy spent significant time with Dolphins GM finalist Joe Eric-Sullivan with the Packers.

McCarthy has a long track record of success, including a Super Bowl win, and he’s created some solid offenses in his time. However, he’s also had the luxury of working with two great QBs in Aaron Rodgers and Dak Prescott.

The concern with McCarthy is that offensive football has passed him by — his tenure in Dallas ended worse than some remember.

We’re not a huge fan of McCarthy for the Dolphins.

Robert Saleh, Current 49ers DC/Former Jets HC

Saleh is a popular candidate this cycle, and he has many appealing traits. He’s clearly an excellent defensive coach, comes from the Shanahan coaching tree, and has prior head-coaching experience.

Saleh is really on this list just to be thorough. It would be hard to imagine the Dolphins going back to the 49ers’ well after just firing McDaniel. However, we’ll note his connection to Dolphins GM finalist Joshua Williams, who comes from the 49ers.

Kliff Kingsbury, Former Commanders OC/Cardinals HC
Matt Nagy, Chiefs OC/ Former Bears HC

We’re grouping two candidates together here because they mostly fall into the same category. Neither has a direct connection to Miami’s GM finalists, and they’re both offensive minds who struggled in their first jobs.

Kingsbury has at least crafted some solid offenses in the NFL, but we’d prefer it if Miami left both candidates off its interview lists.

Jonathan Gannon, Former Cardinals HC
Raheem Morris, Former Falcons HC

Gannon and Morris fall into the same category as Kingsbury and Nagy, but on the defensive side of the ball.

While we wouldn’t advocate either as a head coach, making them the team’s defensive coordinator could be interesting, depending on who the head coach ends up being.

First-Time Head Coaches

Jeff Hafley, Packers DC

Hafley skyrockets to the top of the list in this category because of his connection to Sullivan. Like Harbaugh and Alexander, it’s a pairing that would just make a lot of sense.

Hafley has two seasons under his belt as the Packers’ defensive coordinator and has done a nice job. Before that, he was the head coach at Boston College for three seasons. His other NFL experience includes stints with the Buccaneers, Browns, and 49ers as a defensive backs coach.

Hafley is young and could pull offensive coordinator candidates from the McVay, LaFleur, and Shanahan coaching tree. However, anytime an OC from that tree does well, they’re usually poached.

The other concern would be his relative lack of experience. Still, we like Hafley as a solid contender in this category.

Chris Shula, Rams DC

A lot of what we just said about Hafley is applicable to Shula. He doesn’t have a direct connection to Miami’s GM finalists, but he certainly has a connection to the Dolphins.

He is the grandson of the legendary Don Shula, so hiring Chris has a certain narrative appeal.

On the field, Chris’ strengths are his defensive acumen and ability to hire from the McVay coaching tree on offense. However, he’s been a coordinator for just one season, and his only NFL experience is with the Rams.

We like Shula, but it feels like it might be a tad early to make him a head coach.

Jesse Minter, Chargers DC

Man, these defensive coordinator candidates are pretty similar. Minter’s connection to Alexander is worth mentioning, and he’s got two years of play-calling experience with the Chargers defense.

The question for Minter will be more around his offensive staff. He doesn’t have a connection to the popular coaching trees; instead, he is from the Harbaugh coaching tree through and through.

We actually think Minter is the best defensive mind in this category, so he’d be our favorite candidate for this group.

Klint Kubiak, Seahawks OC

How about an offensive option? Klint Kubiak, the son of long-time coach Gary Kubiak, is the top hot-shot offensive coordinator candidate this cycle after helping the Seahawks become the top seed in the NFC.

His offense has helped Sam Darnold maintain his high level of play after leaving Minnesota and produced a great rushing attack with Kenneth Walker and Zach Charbonnet.

He’s only been in Seattle for one season, but his 2024 tenure with the New Orleans Saints was better than some might remember. When Derek Carr was healthy early in the season, New Orleans’ offense was humming.

Still, it does feel a bit early to give Kubiak the keys to a rebuilding team like the Dolphins. While his offenses have performed well, it’s not exactly taking over the league.

Joe Brady, Bills OC

Our last candidate for this category would feature the Dolphins stealing from a division rival. Joe Brady is in his second season as the Bills’ offensive coordinator, and the team’s offense has evolved quite a bit under him.

Of course, Brady was also the architect of the famed LSU National Championship-winning offense with Joe Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase, and Justin Jefferson.

Brady also had a failed stint with the Carolina Panthers under head coach Matt Rhule.

He’s worked with a lot of elite QBs from this era, but Brady's tenure with Buffalo seems to be on shaky ground this season, as the team’s offense wasn’t quite as good as many expected.

We’d stay away from making Brady a priority, but there's at least some appeal to his background.

Coaches With Dolphins Connections

Anthony Weaver, Dolphins DC

Weaver is getting a ton of head coaching interviews this cycle, and he got a bunch last cycle, too. It’s clear that the NFL sees a lot of potential in Weaver, and his time in Miami is likely a big reason why.

The defensive coordinator has dealt with a lot of adversity with personnel in his two seasons coaching Miami’s defense and managed to squeeze the most out of his units.

Plus, if you’ve ever heard Weaver speak, it’s clear he talks like a future head coach.

For the Dolphins, though, Weaver comes with the same problem all defensive coaches do — what does their offensive staff look like? Additionally, hiring Weaver would undermine Miami’s desire for a full reset.

That should probably push the Dolphins in another direction, but bringing in Weaver for an interview to see how different he could be is worthwhile.

Anthony Campanile, Jaguars DC

Campanile would also land in the first-time head coach category, but his three years as the Dolphins' linebackers coach from 2020 to 2023 make him a better fit for this one.

After leaving Miami for Green Bay at the end of the 2023 season, Campanile spent one season overlapping with Sullivan, giving him a potential connection to Miami’s GM.

His latest stint is coaching the Jaguars’ defense, which he’s done a marvelous job at. Jacksonville is eighth in points allowed per game this year, and Campanile’s unit is a big reason the team is hosting a playoff game this weekend.

We’d prefer a candidate that wasn’t around for the McDaniel era, but Campanile is a big-time riser who could pull from the LaFleur and Shanahan trees at OC.

Vance Joseph, Broncos DC

Vance Joseph spent one season as the Dolphins’ defensive coordinator in 2016 before being hired by the Denver Broncos as head coach. That coaching tenure didn’t go well, but Joseph has had a ton of success as Denver’s defensive coordinator.

The Broncos have had arguably the best defense in the sport the past two seasons, and a ton of players have developed incredibly well under Joseph. He’d also be capable of pulling from the Sean Payton coaching tree for his offensive staff.

We’re not too high on Joseph as a candidate because of how poorly his last head coaching stint went, and frankly, there are younger defensive minds worth investing in.

Darren Rizzi, Broncos Assistant HC/ST coordinator

There hasn’t been any indication that Darren Rizzi is viewed as a head coaching candidate this cycle, but if one team would be interested, it’s likely the Dolphins.

Rizzi was in Miami from 2009 to 2018, mostly as the team’s special teams coordinator. He’s one of the most respected coaches at that position, and his ties to Miami make him at least worth mentioning.

However, there will be questions about his ability to hire a staff on both sides of the ball, and his only head coaching experience was as the Saints' interim head coach last season.

Our Preferred Candidates

- John Harbaugh, Former Ravens HC
- Kevin Stefanski, Former Browns HC
- Jesse Minter, Chargers DC
- Jeff Hafley, Packers DC
- Chris Shula, Rams DC