Making Sense of Latest Reporting on John Harbaugh's Interest in Dolphins HC Job

Former Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh is the big fish for every team’s head coaching search, and that includes the Miami Dolphins, who entered the head coaching pool last week.

The national reporting on what Harbaugh wants and which teams he prefers has been inconsistent, and the Dolphins have appeared in a good chunk of it.

We’ve collected some of the most recent reporting on Harbaugh to see where the Dolphins stand in the race to land the cycle’s hottest coaching candidate.

Dolphins Have a Real Shot at Landing Harbaugh

We’ll start with Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer, who reported Monday that the Dolphins are one of four teams with a “real shot” at landing Harbaugh. He also named the New York Giants, Atlanta Falcons, and Tennessee Titans.

This comes from numerous national reports over the weekend that Harbaugh would narrow down a list of teams that he’d be willing to interview for. There are seven (excluding Baltimore) available spots, and it’s likely that all seven would request an interview with Harbaugh.

However, it’s clear that he’s got enough power to narrow his own list.

Breer’s final four make a lot of sense. The Giants are a historic franchise with a young QB; the Falcons’ roster is actually pretty good in a bad division; the Titans also have an exciting young QB; and the Dolphins have owner Stephen Ross, who has a strong relationship with the Harbaugh family.

Narrowing down things from those four gets a lot harder, but Miami having Ross should, as Breer, put it, give them a “real shot.”

There’s a Sleeper Team For Harbaugh’s Services

Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports has a slightly different list of teams for his top four. Like Breer, Jones has the Giants, Falcons, and Titans as finalists. However, he named the Cleveland Browns as the fourth team, citing “mutual interest.”

Jones also goes as far as to name a hierarchy for Harbaugh’s preference. He believes the Giants and Falcons are the leaders, with the Titans third, and Cleveland a wild-card option.

That, of course, doesn’t sound overly promising for Miami. The question to ask with this report is whether Cleveland is more desirable than Miami. The best thing the Browns can offer Harbaugh is the chance to get revenge on the Ravens.

How sweet would it be if the Browns finally become consistently relevant, and someone who spent 18 years in Baltimore was the reason why?

It should also be noted that Harbaugh grew up in Ohio and rooted for the Browns, so it could be a homecoming of sorts for him.

Four Teams Might Be Too Many For Harbaugh

Our last report comes from SYN’s Conner Hughes, who covers the Giants and Jets. Like Jones and Breer, he’s identified the Giants and Falcons as the top candidates, but his sources seem to indicate those two are the only real choices.

“There is belief amongst other coaching candidates that it’s the Giants and Falcons for Harbaugh, with the loser of those sweepstakes landing Kevin Stefanski,” Hughes wrote.

Hughes went on to note that Miami also has interest in Harbaugh, but its hiring of general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan might be a roadblock to getting Harbaugh. To be fair, he also pointed out the same thing with the Giants keeping Joe Schoen at GM.

What Should You Take Away from All of This?

While these reporters have slightly different leanings and reasonings for Harbaugh’s decision-making, all of them seem to signal the Giants and Falcons are the teams to beat.

That could very well change, but that’s by far the most consistent part of all the reporting surrounding Harbaugh’s process so far. We should find out sooner rather than later whether the Dolphins get an interview with the former Ravens head coach.

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