Dolphins interim head coach Dan Campbell is expected to make a decision on defensive coordinator Kevin Coyle by tomorrow, according to Ed Werder of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Current Miami linebackers coach Mark Duffner is an in-house candidate for the job if Coyle is removed, he adds.
Meanwhile, the Dolphins touched base with former Lions head coach Jim Schwartz about the vacancy, but he declined the opportunity, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Schwartz, who served as the Titans’ defensive coordinator from 2001 through 2008 and as the Bills’ DC in 2014, isn’t Miami-bound, but I would imagine that news does not bode well for Coyle’s chances of staying.
Coyle is “as disliked by his players as any coach we’ve encountered [in Miami],” according to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald who has covered the team for many years. The Dolphins are 1-3 heading into their bye week with very weak production out of their defense, even with the offseason addition of Ndamukong Suh.
There’s a mountain of speculation building against Coyle, who seems as doomed as a coordinator’s been this early in a season in memory. Duffner’s promotion would be interesting, given that he has plenty of seasoning at age 62 and served as an LBs coach for four teams. But an HC/DC structure featuring such little experience at the top jobs would be incredibly unique. The fact that Dan Campbell was given this gig after beginning this decade as an intern was fascinating in itself.