Miami Dolphins News & Rumors

Rams Promote Chris Shula To DC

The Rams are turning to their current coaching staff to fill the void left by former defensive coordinator Raheem Morris. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Rams have promoted pass rush coordinator and linebackers coach Chris Shula to defensive coordinator. The Rams have since announced the promotion.

With Morris being named as the Falcons new head coach, the Rams had a major hole on their coaching staff. Sean McVay considered a number of outside candidates for the job, including former Commanders head coach Ron Rivera. McVay also considered in-house candidates; besides Shula, defensive backs coach Aubrey Pleasant was also expected to get an interview for the position.

Ultimately, the Rams opted for Shula as their new defensive coordinator. The grandson of Hall of Fame coach Don Shula, Chris Shula has been climbing the NFL coaching ranks for close to a decade. He spent the past seven seasons with the Rams organization, working his way up from assistant LBs coach to the full-time job. He earned the added responsibility of pass game coordinator in 2022, and he took on the title of pass rush coordinator in 2023.

Shula has earned a positive reputation during his seven seasons with the Rams, and Schefter notes that the Dolphins tried to get the coach in for a coordinator interview. Ultimately, the Rams wouldn’t let the 37-year-old out of the building. According to Fox Sports’ Peter Schrager, Shula was “incredibly impressive” during his interview for the Rams job, and the decision is expected to be “celebrated” by the current staff.

The Rams are also reportedly eyeing a current staff member for another vacancy. According to Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports, the Rams interviewed assistant defensive line coach AC Carter for the full-time job. Carter has had a quick rise, as he only entered the NFL coaching ranks in 2022 when he served as the Broncos defensive quality control coach. In Los Angeles, he was credited with helping guide rookie Kobie Turner to a team-leading nine sacks this past season.

2024 NFL Head Coaching Search Tracker

The Commanders’ hire has wrapped this year’s cycle. Barring a team making an 11th-hour change, the 2024 HC carousel has come to a stop. The final breakdown produced five defensive coaches being hired compared to three with backgrounds on offense. Many teams are still searching for offensive and defensive coordinators, however.

Updated 2-1-24 (10:37am CT)

Atlanta Falcons

Carolina Panthers

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

New England Patriots

  • Jerod Mayo, linebackers coach (Patriots): Hired

Seattle Seahawks

Tennessee Titans

Washington Commanders

Dolphins To Interview Chris Shula For DC

The Dolphins’ search to replace Vic Fangio will move toward Sean McVay‘s staff, and it now includes a rather familiar name in South Florida.

Chris Shula, who has been with the Rams throughout McVay’s tenure, is set to interview for the Dolphins’ defensive coordinator position, NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero tweets. The grandson of legendary Dolphins coach Don Shula, Chris will meet with the team about its DC opening Thursday.

A Miami native, Chris is the son of former Dolphins assistant and ex-Bengals head coach David Shula. In addition to Don Shula’s 26-year run as Dolphins HC, the Shulas have produced another NFL HC (David) and a coordinator (Mike). Chris, 37, has moved around on McVay’s staff, specializing on the defensive side. He spent this past season as the Rams’ linebackers coach.

This marks Chris’ second opportunity to interview for a coordinator post this offseason. The Rams also have him on the radar to replace Raheem Morris, though bigger names are also being considered for that Los Angeles-based gig. McVay’s success has brought steady turnover on his staff, with a handful of staffers rising to the HC or coordinator ranks elsewhere. Shula spending all seven seasons on McVay’s staff has represented rare continuity for the NFC West team.

Shula coached the Rams’ DBs in 2022 but has spent the other six seasons in L.A. working with the team’s linebackers. During the team’s Super Bowl-winning slate and this past season, Shula coached L.A.’s LBs. The third-generation NFL coach broke into the league as a quality control staffer with the Chargers. Here is how the Dolphins’ DC search looks as of Thursday morning:

Dolphins To Conduct DC Interviews With Anthony Weaver, Chris Kiffin

Anthony Weaver is still in the running for a head coaching opportunity, but he has also drawn interest for a coordinator vacancy. The Ravens’ defensive line coach will interview with the Dolphins for their DC position, Dianna Russini of The Athletic reports.

As Weaver toggles his status on the HC and DC carousels, the Dolphins are also preparing to interview Texans linebackers coach Chris Kiffin. That meeting will take place Friday, NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero tweets.

Despite the Dolphins giving Vic Fangio a contract worth more than $4.5MM annually — a deal believed to have the veteran coach positioned as NFL’s highest-paid DC — the team is searching for a defensive play-caller for a second straight offseason. The Eagles have since brought Fangio back to Philly.

Weaver, 43, is the rare position coach to receive a second interview for a head coaching position. The former NFL D-lineman has coordinator experience, but just one year of it; and that came for a 4-12 Texans team. Weaver has been the Ravens’ D-line coach since leaving Houston, and interested teams now have Justin Madubuike‘s monster contract year to factor into their decisions.

Although Weaver interviewed for the Falcons’ HC job and remains in the running in a Commanders search that has since changed after Ben Johnson‘s surprising decision Tuesday morning, he has not interviewed for a defensive coordinator job during this cycle. The Dolphins are the only team to request an audience with the veteran assistant regarding a DC post. Weaver’s second Commanders HC interview occurred Monday.

This is new territory for Kiffin, who joined DeMeco Ryans‘ team during the 2023 offseason. The son of famed DC Monte Kiffin, Chris moved up from the college ranks in 2018 to join Kyle Shanahan‘s staff. He overlapped with Mike McDaniel in San Francisco from 2018-19, when the current Dolphins HC was the 49ers’ run-game coordinator. Kiffin, who assisted as a 49ers pass rush specialist, coached the Browns’ D-line for three seasons (2020-22).

As of Tuesday afternoon, here is how the Dolphins’ DC search looks:

  • Bobby Babich, linebackers coach (Bills): Interview requested
  • Anthony Campanile, inside linebackers coach (Dolphins): Interviewed
  • Ejiro Evero, defensive coordinator (Panthers): Interview blocked
  • Leslie Frazier, former defensive coordinator (Bills): To interview 1/30
  • Chris Kiffin, linebackers coach (Texans): To interview 2/2
  • Ryan Slowik, outside linebackers coach (Dolphins): Interview expected
  • Brandon Staley, former head coach (Chargers): Interviewed
  • Anthony Weaver, defensive line coach (Ravens): To interview

Adam La Rose contributed to this post.

Brandon Staley Meets With Packers, Dolphins; Rams To Conduct DC Interview

JANUARY 30: The Rams indeed have interest in bringing Staley back. The former Chargers HC will interview for Raheem Morris‘ old job Wednesday, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport tweets.

Staley cemented his place as a top HC candidate in 2021 by overseeing a No. 1-ranked Rams defense. While Staley’s Chargers defenses could not justify the franchise’s investment, the 2020 Rams ranked first in scoring defense and yardage allowed. With multiple teams pursuing the three-year HC, an immediate move back to a coordinator job may be in the cards.

JANUARY 26: A short list of names worth watching quickly emerged for the Packers’ defensive coordinator position once Joe Barry was fired earlier this week. Green Bay had yet to line up an interview, but that has now changed.

[RELATED: Offensive/Defensive Coordinator Search Tracker]

The Packers are speaking with Brandon Staley for their DC position, Matt Schneidman and Dianna Russini of The Athletic report. Staley’s first head coaching gig, which came with the Chargers, certainly did not go according to plan. He was let go midway through the 2023 season, his third in Los Angeles. A coordinator role likely awaits him in his next NFL opportunity.

Staley was not originally thought to be under consideration for Green Bay, but he is indeed meeting with the team today, ESPN’s Adam Schefter notes. This Packers summit represents the first firm interest shown in the 41-year-old, but it does not appear to be the last. Schefter adds that Staley will interview with the Dolphins for their DC posting this weekend, and that a Rams reunion could be on the table.

Miami moved on from Vic Fangio after just one season at the helm, and he has already taken the Eagles’ DC role. The Dolphins thus have a notable vacancy to fill, and their upcoming Staley interview is the team’s first known one to fill the position. Miami underperformed relative to expectations at times during the season, although by the playoffs the team’s defense was ravaged by injuries. A number of key roster pieces are in place on that side of the ball.

Like the Dolphins, the Rams made it to the wild-card round of the postseason this year. Morris played a key role in that success, and he landed the Falcons’ head coaching position in a return to Atlanta. Staley could embark on a reunion of his own by taking the Rams’ DC position, one which he held in 2020. The Athletic’s Jourdan Rodrigue names Staley as a potential candidate for the gig (subscription required).

Despite his background, Staley’s Chargers never ranked better than 20th in total defense. That, coupled with a regression on offense in 2023, helped inform the team’s decision to dismiss him and general manager Tom Telesco. The latter has already landed the Raiders’ GM job, but it will be interesting to see where (and in what capacity) Staley winds up. Today’s update certainly point to competition for his services in a coordinator role being a distinct possibility.

Dolphins To Interview Leslie Frazier For DC Job

After most recently serving as the Bills defensive coordinator, Leslie Frazier could end his coaching hiatus by joining an AFC East rival. According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, the Dolphins are interviewing the veteran coach for their defensive coordinator vacancy.

Frazier’s six-year stint as the Bills defensive coordinator came to an end following the 2022 campaign, with head coach Sean McDermott opting to call the defensive plays himself for the 2023 season. Frazier ended up spending this past year out of football, but it didn’t take long for him to return to the coaching carousel. He interviewed for the Chargers and Raiders head coaching vacancies this offseason, and now he’s set to take a meeting for Miami’s coordinator opening.

Buffalo’s defense was up-and-down during Frazier’s time with the organization, but the Bills still finished with one of the league’s best defenses in three of the coach’s six years. This included a 2021 campaign where the Bills defense finished first in both points allowed and yards allowed. The team continued that production into 2022, finishing second in points allowed and sixth in yards allowed. However, following a divisional-round loss where the Bills allowed three scores to the Bengals, McDermott decided to make a change.

Prior to his stint in Buffalo, Frazier was also the defensive coordinator with the Bengals, Vikings, and Buccaneers. He parlayed his role in Minnesota into a head coaching gig, a job he held for three seasons. The Vikings went 10-6 and earned a playoff birth in 2012, but the team otherwise went 8-23-1 in his two full seasons as Minnesota’s head coach.

The Dolphins allowed Vic Fangio to leave for Philadelphia earlier this month, opening a major hole on their coaching staff. Frazier will be the fifth candidate to interview for the job, with the veteran coach joining:

Dolphins To Interview OLBs Coach Ryan Slowik For DC Position; Team Meets With LBs Coach Anthony Campanile

2:15pm: The Dolphins have also interviewed inside linebackers coach Anthony Campanile, Wilson reports. The 41-year-old has coaching experience on both sides of the ball dating back to his time in the college ranks, which included co-DC duties in 2018 with Boston College. Campanile spent one season as Michigan’s LBs coach before taking the same position with the Dolphins in 2020. He, like Slowik, will be a candidate for promotion.

11:40am: The Dolphins are among the teams in need of a new coordinator after DC Vic Fangio departed to take charge of the Eagles’ defense. Miami has looked outside the organization for replacement options, but the team will consider at least one internal candidate.

[RELATED: Offensive/Defensive Coordinator Search Tracker]

The Dolphins are expected to interview outside linebackers coach Ryan Slowik for their defensive coordinator position, according to Aaron Wilson of KPRC2. Slowik joined the Dolphins’ staff last offseason after a number of stops at the NFL level. He has been an NFL staffer dating back to 2005, with the exception of a stint in the college ranks in 2017 and ’18.

The son of Bob Slowik and brother of Texans OC Bobby Slowik, Ryan has spent time with the Broncos, Cardinals, Jets, Browns and Dolphins. His tenures have seen him work with a number of position groups on defense, but his most common title has been OLBs coach. He has never worked as a defensive coordinator at the college of NFL levels.

Miami ranked third in the league in sacks in 2023 (Slowik’s first year in his current post), despite losing Jaelan Phillips and Bradley Chubb to season-ending injuries midway through the campaign. The Dolphins’ defense was dealt a number of blows in the injury department late in the season, something which factored into the team’s Week 18 loss that dropped them out of the division lead as well as its wild-card defeat. Still, Slowik’s work as a member of Mike McDaniel‘s staff is sufficient to put him on the team’s radar for an interview.

Here is an updated look at the Dolphins’ DC search:

  • Bobby Babich, linebackers coach (Bills): Interview requested
  • Anthony Campanile, inside linebackers coach (Dolphins): Interviewed
  • Ejiro Evero, defensive coordinator (Panthers): Interview blocked
  • Ryan Slowik, outside linebackers coach (Dolphins): Interview expected
  • Brandon Staley, former head coach (Chargers): To interview

Panthers Block Giants, Dolphins Ejiro Evero DC Interview Requests

Ejiro Evero remains connected to a number of moves sending him out of Carolina, but such an agreement may not be possible. The Panthers defensive coordinator has had another pair of interview requests denied.

[RELATED: Offensive/Defensive Coordinator Search Tracker]

Carolina has blocked DC interviews for Evero with the Giants and Dolphins, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network notes (video link). Teams are allowed to block coordinators from making lateral moves, as the Panthers have already demonstrated during this year’s hiring cycle. The team prevented the Jaguars from speaking with Evero for their DC vacancy.

As Pelissero adds, it is unknown at this point if Evero wishes to remain in Carolina if another DC position awaits him elsewhere. The 43-year-old interviewed with the Seahawks for their head coaching position for the second time on Saturday, meaning he remains in the running for that post. Evero has not served as a head coach before, and he has just a pair of seasons as a coordinator (one each with the Broncos and Panthers) to his name.

In spite of that, his success both in Denver and Carolina has landed him on the HC radar. Evero guided the Broncos to a seventh-place finish in total defense last year, and the Panthers ranked fourth in that category in 2023. The former Rams safeties coach has been linked to a potential L.A. return, and his name has also been floated with respect to the Packers’ DC vacancy.

Carolina’s staff was in a holding pattern to begin the hiring cycle, with it known a new head coach would be brought in. The Panthers have tapped Dave Canales as their hire, and his background as an offensive coordinator could give Evero a high degree of autonomy in charge of the team’s defense. With Canales in place, it will be interesting to see if the Panthers’ willingness to allow Evero to explore other options will change in the near future.

Miami saw Vic Fangio depart earlier this week after just one season in South Beach. The veteran staffer has moved quickly in taking on the DC role with the Eagles, leaving the Dolphins in search of not only better health on defense (compared to where things stood at the end of the campaign) but also another new voice to guide the unit. The Giants moved on from Don Martindale amidst reported tension with head coach Brian Daboll, putting an end to their two-year partnership. Both teams remain on the lookout for a new coordinator, but for now Evero will not be a part of that process.

Titans Request Interview With Dolphins’ Eric Studesville For OC

The Titans and new head coach Brian Callahan continue their efforts to build a new staff in Tennessee today. After scheduling their first offensive coordinator interview yesterday, the Titans have requested to interview Dolphins associate head coach and running backs coach Eric Studesville for the job, as well, per ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler.

Studesville worked wonders with what was originally seen as a below-average running backs room in 2023. Under Studesville, the league leader in rushing touchdowns, Raheem Mostert, and the league’s most electric rookie rusher, Devon Achane, helped elevate one of the league’s most explosive offenses all year. Further back, Studesville is often credited for the success seen by players like Tiki Barber in New York and Willis McGahee, Fred Jackson, and Marshawn Lynch in Buffalo.

At 56 years old, this would be Studesville’s first full offensive coordinator job in a long coaching career. Studesville spent the 2021 season as a co-offensive coordinator with Miami’s tight ends coach at the time, George Godsey, under then-head coach Brian Flores but reverted to his current title for the past two years. Since first entering the NFL as a coach in 1997, Studesville has coached for the Bears, Giants, Bills, Broncos, and Dolphins, often serving double duty with additional titles such as running game coordinator or assistant special teams coach.

During his time in Denver, Studesville worked on the same staff as Callahan from 2010-15, though Callahan was just an offensive assistant while Studesville was a position coach and, for a short time, interim head coach. With Callahan planning to call plays for the Titans, something he didn’t do as the Bengals’ offensive coordinator, Studesville’s inexperience with play-calling becomes less of a factor, as well.

So far, his only competition is Jaguars passing game coordinator Nick Holz, who is set to interview this Monday. Studesville’s connection to Callahan should give him a strong chance to earn his first full offensive coordinator position in the NFL.

Dolphins, Vic Fangio Part Ways; Eagles Deal Finalized

JANUARY 27: The Eagles have made the official announcement, marking Fangio as the team’s new defensive coordinator following the departure of Desai. Fangio will be tasked with leading a defensive unit that stumbled down the stretch in what started as a promising 2023 season. He may be forced to do it with some younger faces, as well, as some key veterans (defensive tackle Fletcher Cox, defensive end Brandon Graham, linebacker Shaquille Leonard) are facing free agency in the offseason.

JANUARY 25: Fangio is headed to Philadelphia today to finalize his defensive coordinator agreement, Schefter reports. As a result, the Eagles have one of their two coordinator vacancies filled after moving on from OC Brian Johnson. Philadelphia’s defense will be a unit to follow closely in the offseason and into the 2024 campaign.

JANUARY 24: A hotly contested Vic Fangio pursuit developed during the 2023 offseason, with an element of controversy comprising part of it. The Dolphins won out, but the parties’ union will be short-lived. The team announced Wednesday that Fangio will not return as DC.

Describing this as a mutual decision, the Dolphins are moving on from a coach whom they agreed to pay more than $4.5MM per season. Fangio had been closely tied to the Eagles’ DC job in 2023, after serving as a consultant for the team. He alluded to the Jonathan Gannon situation helping lead him out of Philly. With Fangio available again, teams will naturally be interested in the experienced defensive coach.

The Eagles are not planning to sit this one out, with ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler and Adam Schefter reporting a deal for Fangio to return to Philly is expected. CBS Sports’ Josina Anderson also indicates the Eagles expect Fangio to return and be their next DC.

The Dolphins are letting Fangio leave to allow him to be closer to his family, per ESPN. Fangio, 65, is a Pennsylvania native and sits as the top target for the Eagles’ DC job. The Eagles will still need to interview at least one external minority candidate to comply with the Rooney Rule, but it appears they have a clear preference as they look to replace Sean Desai.

Mike McDaniel will now be on his third DC in three years, moving from Josh Boyer to Fangio after the 2022 season. The Dolphins shelled out a deal that made Fangio the NFL’s highest-paid DC last year. Fangio had wanted to stay with the Eagles, but with the team expecting Gannon to remain in place for a third season, he left for Miami. It does not appear that proved to be a good fit, and the well-traveled coach is on track to step in as a savior of sorts for an Eagles team that completed a chaotic defensive season.

Demoting ex-Fangio lieutenant Desai for Matt Patricia late in the season, the Eagles lost six of their final seven games — including a one-sided wild-card game in Tampa. Patricia is expected to head elsewhere, perhaps rejoining Bill Belichick if the latter lands a head coaching job, but the Eagles will receive the good fortune of Fangio becoming available again. The Eagles have already interviewed Ron Rivera virtually, but it seems fairly clear Fangio is the favorite. Following Gannon’s departure for Arizona — which drew a tampering penalty from the NFL — the Philly defense cratered, finishing 29th in DVOA.

Fangio drew interest from a few places after not taking a job to start the 2022 season. The Falcons and Panthers interviewed the ex-Broncos HC, and the 49ers expressed interest in reuniting with him. Fangio also came up in Denver, as Sean Payton took over, but deemed the timing wrong. The Dolphins’ defense featured some of the same poor injury luck Fangio experienced in Denver, as his playoff unit lacked numerous starters — including edge anchors Jaelan Phillips and Bradley Chubb — after missing Jalen Ramsey for half the season. The Dolphins held their own in the red zone in frigid Kansas City, but Miami’s offense crumbled in a one-sided matchup.

An NFL assistant since helming the Saints’ famed “Dome Patrol” linebacking corps in the 1980s and early ’90s, Fangio has received rave reviews for his work in Chicago and San Francisco. The Bears gig, which featured the team’s 2018 unit leading the league, led to the Broncos hiring him as head coach in 2019. Fangio was in place under Jim Harbaugh, helping the 49ers to three straight NFC title games from 2011-13.

Miami’s 2023 defense ranked 19th in DVOA; multiple names have already surfaced for the newly vacant job. Brandon Staley is expected to be a candidate, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport tweets. Dolphins linebackers coach Anthony Campanile has generated good reviews around the league, per NFL.com’s Cameron Wolfe. Campanile is also on the Giants’ DC radar.

Staley, of course, is coming off an in-season firing as Chargers HC. Staley’s Bolts defenses underwhelmed throughout his tenure, but he would make for a natural transition in Miami, having been a Fangio charge in Chicago and Denver. Staley became a promising HC candidate after spending the 2020 season as the Rams’ DC. He has yet to interview for an HC or DC job this offseason. The former Chargers leader shares an agent with McDaniel, Dianna Russini of The Athletic tweets.