Miami Dolphins Coach Jeff Hafley Explains His Fight for Duggan

When Jeff Hafley was hired as the Miami Dolphins’ new head coach, one of the most obvious predictions was him bringing Sean Duggan with him as defensive coordinator.

Duggan was the Green Bay Packers’ linebacker coach last season, and apparently, Packers head coach Matt LaFleur wasn’t keen on letting him out of the building.

“There was a time when Matt was like ‘I’m keeping Sean,” Hafley told reporters Wednesday. “And I said, ‘No, Sean is coming with me.’ Ultimately, we decided it was best for Sean to come here. And I say that not because he’s been with me for eight or nine years or whatever it has been.”

“I think he’s a rising star. He’s gonna allow me to be the head coach of this team, so it’s not just gonna be ‘Jeff is over with the defense. Jeff is a defensive coach.’ No, I’m gonna be able to touch all three phases because of how good this guy is. He’s gonna allow me to be the head coach, and when it’s time for me to call the defense, I’ll be able to call the defense.”

Hafley also mentioned that LaFleur was very happy to promote Duggan after the 2024 season, when former Dolphins linebacker coach Anthony Campanile left the same position in Green Bay to become the Jacksonville Jaguars’ defensive coordinator.

Duggan went from a defensive assistant to coaching the Packers’ linebackers, and Quay Walker and Edgerrin Cooper were huge parts of Hafley’s defense.

LaFleur really couldn’t keep Duggan in the building unless he wanted to promote him to defensive coordinator to replace Hafley.

It’s impossible to know if that’s something LaFleur wanted, but since Duggan was getting a promotion in Miami, there would’ve been no other way to keep him in Green Bay.

Of course, the Packers let Duggan leave and ultimately hired Jonathan Gannon as DC, but LaFleur's push to keep Duggan is a good sign for the Dolphins. Many fans have been skeptical of Duggan because they view it as a comfort hire for Hafley.

While that’s certainly a piece of it, Duggan clearly made his presence felt in Green Bay and wasn’t just someone Hafley brought along from his college days.

Duggan Can Free Up Hafley

The other noteworthy part of Hafley’s comments are about Duggan being the DC will allow him to “be the head coach” and not just worry about defense.

Hafley will call plays during games, but it seems like Duggan will be doing most of the install and day-to-day teaching.

“I would sit in the booth, and by the third or fourth game, there were times I didn’t ask anyone questions but him — he was a GA — because of how sharp he is,” Hafley said about Duggan’s time at Ohio State. “He saw the game so fast from up in the booth and the adjustments he could help you make, even as a graduate assistant, he quickly earned my trust.”

That will likely be Duggan’s role on gamedays with the Dolphins. He’ll likely be watching from the booth and relaying potential adjustments to Hafley, while he calls the plays.

In theory, this is the best possible outcome for the Dolphins if Hafley wants to call plays. He and Duggan already have trust and rapport, so they should be more than capable of hitting the ground on defense this season.

Of course, the personnel will have a huge say in how effective the defense ultimately is, but from a process perspective, this is as clean as it gets.

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