Why Jesse Minter Makes Sense for Dolphins Head Coaching Job

The Miami Dolphins’ head coaching search is in the middle of the initial round of interviews, so it’s a good time to dig a little deeper into some of the candidates.

We’ve already covered Kevin Stefanski and Jeff Hafley, so today we’re taking a look at Los Angeles Chargers defensive coordinator Jesse Minter. He interviewed with Miami on Thursday and was requested by just about every team with an opening, making him one of the more popular candidates.

What makes Minter so appealing? Let’s dive into his background and play-calling experience to see why the Dolphins like him.

Jesse Minter’s Background, Defensive Acumen

Let’s start with how Minter’s defense has performed the last two seasons. In 2025, the Chargers finished fifth in yards allowed per game and ninth in points allowed per game.

Specifically, the Chargers were excellent against the pass. The team allowed just 179.9 passing yards per game, good for fifth in the league. LA was eighth in rushing yards allowed per game, so it’s not like they were getting gashed in that area, either.

In fact, it’s kinda hard to find a single metric where Minter’s defense didn’t perform well in 2025. LA was fifth in opponent third-down conversion rate, eighth in defensive success rate, fourth in opponent red zone conversion rate, and first in passer rating allowed.

There’s a fair argument that LA had one of the best and most well-rounded defenses in the sport this past season. If you’re worried about that being a fluke, LA was seventh in yards allowed and first in points allowed per game in Minter’s first season (2024).

Simply put, since Minter arrived alongside Jim Harbaugh, the defense has dominated.

Play-calling and scheme are only half the battle, though. A coach's experience and pedigree matter quite a bit. Minter, of course, comes off the Harbaugh coaching tree.

What people might not realize is that Minter spent a lot of time with both brothers. He now works with Jim, and Minter was also his defensive coordinator at Michigan when it won the national championship a few seasons ago.

But Minter’s first NFL job was with John Harbaugh in Baltimore. Minter worked his way up from a defensive assistant to the team’s defensive back coach from 2017 through 2020.

What makes this intriguing for a team like the Dolphins is that Minter is a significant part of what’s becoming the premier defensive coaching tree in the NFL.

Mike Macdonald, the Seattle Seahawks head coach, and his scheme have kinda become the defensive version of the Kyle Shanahan offense. It’s not quite to that level, but Macdonald has disciples all over the sport.

Minter overlapped with Macdonald in Baltimore, and he took over for him at Michigan, using the same concepts.

Others include Dolphins defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver, Titans defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson, and Ravens defensive coordinator Zach Orr. Plus, current Seahawks DC Aden Durde looks like the next man up.

This scheme is slowly but surely becoming the “it” defensive scheme, and Minter is doing it better than everyone not named Macdonald.

What Are Minter’s Drawbacks?

No head coaching candidate is perfect, and that includes Minter. There are really two big drawbacks with him as a candidate. The first is obvious: A lack of head coaching experience.

Minter has never led an entire team at the college or NFL level, and the Dolphins haven’t had much success with first-time candidates. Since Stephen Ross became the owner, the team has exclusively hired first-time head coaches.

There’s always a learning curve, even for coaches who have the right mental make-up and leadership skills to do a good job.

The other issue is that Minter is a defensive coordinator. That means he’ll have to constantly churn offensive coaches, which is a bigger issue than some like to admit.

That’s actually the ideal outcome, though, because if Minter isn’t hiring new offensive play-callers every couple of years, it likely means the offense isn’t performing well. There are some cases where you fall into an older play-caller who won’t get head coaching looks, but that’s pretty rare.

Who will run Minter’s offense and how long he can keep them around will likely be the two most important questions of his candidacy. The Harbaugh coaching tree doesn’t have quite the same acumen with offense as it does on defense.

The best current offensive play-caller from that tree is Todd Monken, who is interviewing for head coaching jobs and expected to follow John Harbaugh to New York.

Still, Minter is the best schematic defensive option in this year’s crop, and his coaching tree gives him more advantages than disadvantages. He’s a strong candidate if the Dolphins are OK with going the first-time route again.

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