New Miami Dolphins coach Jeff Hafley was introduced, alongside new general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan, on Thursday. On Friday, he was up and running in making progress toward his most important initial tasks.
Those would be to find his three coordinators on offense, defense and special teams.
The offensive coordinator hire will be critical, as Hafley, who has a defensive background, has said he’ll call plays defensively and needs someone to do the same with the offense.
That process will be expedited, according to Hafley, as he made some outside interview rounds Friday.
“I think we’ll see in the next day or two who the coordinator is,” Hafley said on the Rich Eisen Show on Friday. “We’re just kind of piecing that together and then, hopefully by the weekend, we’ll have all three coordinators in. I feel like we’re close. I’ll call the defense, but I’ll still have a defensive coordinator.”
Hafley mentioned an appreciation for offensive influences he has had in his NFL coaching career from Packers coach Matt LaFleur, 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan and Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell, which shouldn’t mark any big shift in philosophy from the offense run under ex-coach Mike McDaniel. He wants to excel in the run game and have play action off of that to help with the pass.
One name to reportedly surface Thursday as requested for interview is Houston Texans quarterbacks coach Jerrod Johnson, according to The Athletic. Johnson has coached CJ Stroud there the past three seasons.
The Packers’ coaching staff could have possible candidates in offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich, who doesn’t call plays in Green Bay, and quarterbacks coach Sean Mannion. Dallas Cowboys quarterbacks coach Steve Shimko and Minnesota Vikings passing game coordinator and tight ends coach Brian Angelichio have previous ties to Hafley.
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As for the defensive coordinator job: “As a defensive guy, I want someone that’s going to hunt explosives. Everything I do on every single situation on defense is to eliminate explosives.”
After the coaching staff takes shape, Hafley and Sullivan will work together on quarterback decisions, which include determining how to handle Tua Tagovailoa’s contract they inherit.
Hafley told 560-AM the Dolphins will be leaning on Sullivan on quarterback decisions.
“And I’ll do everything that I can, whether it’s here in the building, which there will 100 percent be a guy for that job that is here. And whether it’s going out and finding one, whether that’s in the draft, whether that’s in free agency.”
Packers backup quarterback Malik Willis, with obvious ties to new Dolphins leadership, is a free agent who is expected to pick up some steam for a starting job somewhere this offseason.
“Malik was our scout-team quarterback for most of the year, so I got a chance to work really close with him obviously running the defense,” Hafley told Joe Rose on 560. “He gave us the look, so we got really close and just loved the way he prepared.”
Hafley said he would joke with Willis in Green Bay, after the quarterback complimented him on a good defensive performance, that Willis was having more success against his defense in practice preparing the unit for the opponent.
“He’s a great athlete,” Hafley continued. “He’s smart. He can throw it. He can make athletic plays. Just a really cool guy to be around in two years, and I’m grateful for all the help that he did with our defense.”
Hafley told Eisen of competition: “I think there has to be. … I do see that there’s going to be competition at the quarterback position and at all levels.”
The Dolphins, in 2026 will have Quinn Ewers, who started the final three games of the past season, on the second year of his rookie deal.
One criticism of McDaniel’s tenure before Hafley was his ability to get players to follow team rules. Hafley addressed his way of handling discipline with Rose.
“First, it’s all about the team. It is the team, the team, the team,” Hafley said. “You can’t be about the individual. You got to put the team first in everything that you do. And if you’re not, you’re going to struggle with me. No excuses and no explanations. I don’t want to hear it. The rules are going to be simple. They’re going to be laid out, and when you don’t follow them, you’re going to be held accountable.”
