Renaldo Hill

Dolphins Will Not Retain Renaldo Hill, Sam Madison; Team To Hire DeShawn Shead

February 14th, 2024 at 12:39pm CST by Sam Robinson

Renaldo Hill left his post as Chargers DC to rejoin former boss Vic Fangio in Miami. With Fangio determining he was not a good fit in South Florida, leading to a quick return to Philadelphia, the Dolphins have since changed plans.

As Anthony Weaver transitions to his role as Dolphins DC, Hill will not be in the equation. Neither Hill nor Sam Madison will be part of Weaver’s defensive staff, per the Miami Herald’s Barry Jackson. Fangio kept Madison, a former Pro Bowl cornerback in Miami, in place as cornerbacks coach.

A Dolphins safety from 2006-08, Hill had coached under Fangio with the Broncos. The Chargers hired the two-year Denver assistant to be their defensive coordinator in 2021. Brandon Staley retained play-calling duties on that side of the ball during his Los Angeles tenure, and when Fangio accepted the Dolphins’ lucrative DC offer in 2023, Hill made the interesting move to leave a DC post for a position coaching role. The Dolphins employed Hill as their DBs coach. This marked the longtime assistant’s second tour of duty with the franchise; the Dolphins had Hill in place as assistant DBs coach in 2018 under Adam Gase.

The Chiefs had Madison in place as their corners coach from 2019-21; he returned to Miami to work under then-DC Josh Boyer in 2022. A 1997 Dolphins second-round pick, Madison spent nine seasons with the team. He collected All-Pro accolades in four of those years, signing a lucrative extension in in 2000. Madison, 49, will be in search of a new team moving forward.

Miami has since replaced Hill with Brian Duker, according to NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero. While the Dolphins are also making Duker their pass-game coordinator on defense, he will make a lateral move after serving as the Lions’ DBs coach under Aaron Glenn. Duker took over as Detroit’s DBs coach following the midseason firing of Aubrey Pleasant in 2022. The Lions gave Duker more help in 2023, via the additions of several free agents and second-round pick Brian Branch. But Duker’s unit lost C.J. Gardner-Johnson and Emmanuel Moseley early. The Lions also made tweaks to their secondary this season, accounting for Branch’s rise and the struggles of cornerback Jerry Jacobs.

Additionally, the Dolphins are hiring DeShawn Shead from the Seahawks, per Bleacher Report’s Jordan Schultz. Although Shead’s role is not yet confirmed, the Seahawks had the ex-Legion of Boom supporting-caster in place as their assistant DBs coach from from 2021-23. It is certainly reasonable to expect Shead, 34, to work in that capacity under Duker in Miami. After an ACL tear during a Seahawks 2016 divisional-round loss to the Falcons sidetracked Shead’s playing career, he eventually found his way to coaching for his former team. The Pete Carroll favorite will follow the longtime HC off Seattle’s staff.

Chargers’ Renaldo Hill Joining Dolphins’ Staff; Derrick Ansley Promoted To DC

February 27th, 2023 at 11:56am CST by Adam La Rose

FEBRUARY 27: The Chargers announced a number of previously reported coaching moves on Monday, including confirmation that Ansley is the team’s new defensive coordinator. He will enter his first season as a coordinator at the NFL level with significant expectations, given the team’s playoff roster and the presence of Staley on the sidelines. The latter’s decision to allow Hill’s departure and thus pave the way for Ansley to ascend to this position will no doubt be the subject of considerable scrutiny, depending on the unit’s performance.

FEBRUARY 20: The Chargers are undergoing a significant shake-up on their defensive staff. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports that defensive coordinator Renaldo Hill is leaving the team to take on a position with the Dolphins (Twitter link). To fill his absence, Los Angeles is promoting Derrick Ansley as its new DC, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network tweets.

Hill, 44, will take on the role of defensive passing game coordinator in Miami. This move will allow him to work under new DC Vic Fangio once again; the pair worked together in Denver in 2019 and 2020. Hill was Fangio’s top target for his new defensive staff, Schefter adds, and Chargers head coach Brandon Staley is signing off on what is a demotion in title to allow him this reunion.

Hill had spent the past two seasons at the helm of the Chargers’ defense. His first campaign saw the team put up underwhelming numbers across the board, especially in the run game. That was met with a slew of offseason moves aimed at bolstering the unit, though the team’s return on those investments proved to be less fruitful than hoped. Los Angeles still ranked below-average in a number of categories in 2022, and their season came to an end on the back of a major second-half collapse against the Jaguars in the wild card round.

Now, Hill will take on a lesser role under Fangio, working with a unit whose secondary was an issue in 2022. The Dolphins ranked 27th in the league in passing yards allowed last season, and recorded only eight interceptions. That drove their efforts to replace Josh Boyer after three seasons overseeing the team’s defense, and the celebrated move of bringing Fangio aboard. Expectations will be raised on that side of the ball for the team heading into 2023 with their new-look staff.

Pelissero notes that, in addition to Ansley, Tom Donatell is being promoted. His new title will be secondary coach and passing game coordinator. Staley had been eyeing ways to give both Ansley and Donatell a larger workload on the team’s defense, per Pelissero (Twitter link), and Hill’s departure will allow him to do just that. The former joined the Chargers’ staff in 2021, working as defensive backs coach. That came after several coaching stops, mostly in the college ranks.

The 41-year-old worked as the Raiders’ DBs coach in 2018, before a two-year stint as DC at the University of Tennessee. This posting will be his first opportunity to lead a defense at the NFL level. Donatell received an interview request from the Dolphins earlier this month, but will now take on a larger role after choosing to remain in Los Angeles.

Today’s news means the Chargers will have new offensive and defensive coordinators in 2023. LA hired Kellen Moore as their OC immediately after his Cowboys tenure came to an end. While that has led to increased expectations on offense, questions will be raised about their prospects of taking a step forward defensively with a new (albeit familiar) face in place on that side of the ball.

Chargers Hire Renaldo Hill As DC

January 25th, 2021 at 8:35am CST by Zachary Links

The Chargers will hire Broncos defensive backs coach Renaldo Hill for their defensive coordinator position, as Albert Breer of The MMQB tweets. Hill, a former NFL safety, has long been considered a “rising star” in the coaching ranks.

Hill has managed the Broncos’ defensive backs for the past two seasons, including the 2019 season when he overlapped with new Bolts head coach Brandon Staley. This new job marks Hill’s biggest role in his coaching career, which began at the University of Wyoming in 2012. His NFL coaching career, meanwhile, only began a few years ago with a job on the Dolphins’ staff.

Staley has been contacting former colleagues in recent weeks and recently tapped one-time Broncos assistant Frank Smith as his offensive line/run game manager. And, just over the weekend, Staley hired fellow Dayton alum Joe Lombardi to be his new offensive coordinator. There’s been a lot of talk about the weapons at Lombardi’s disposal, but Hill also has plenty to work with in safety Derwin James, defensive tackle Linval Joseph, corners Casey Hayward and Chris Harris, and edge rushers Melvin Ingram and Joey Bosa.

Chargers Interview Renaldo Hill For DC

January 21st, 2021 at 10:43am CST by Zachary Links

The Chargers interviewed Broncos defensive backs coach Renaldo Hill for their defensive coordinator position, as Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets, Staley. Hill has history with new head coach Brandon Staley after working with him in 2019.

Hill, a former NFL safety, has managed the Broncos’ defensive backs for the past two seasons. He began his coaching career at Wyoming in 2012, before breaking into the pros as the Dolphins’ assistant DBs coach in 2018. Hill has long been considered a “rising star” in the coaching ranks — the Chargers DC job would represent a slingshot up the ladder.

Earlier this week, Staley brought over another former Broncos colleague in Frank Smith. Smith, who spent 2020 as the Raiders’ tight ends coach, will serve as the Bolts’ offensive line coach and run game coordinator. Meanwhile, the Chargers were said to be targeting Kevin O’Connell for their OC vacancy, but they’ll have to look elsewhere after the Rams blocked the interview.

West Notes: Broncos, Cardinals, 49ers

January 17th, 2019 at 6:45pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Von Miller, Bradley Chubb, and the rest of the Broncos‘ pass rushers will have a new coach in 2019, as Denver has announced Brandon Staley as its new outside linebackers coach. Staley had worked in the same role with the Bears for the past two years, and he’ll follow ex-Chicago defensive coordinator Vic Fangio to the Mile High City. After leading Khalil Mack and Leonard Floyd in Chicago, Staley will now be tasked with taking over a Denver pass rush that ranked ninth in adjusted sack rate a season ago. The Packers also had interest in interviewing Staley, tweets Tom Pelissero of NFL.com, but the Bears evidently didn’t want him to remain in the NFC North, so they blocked the request.

Here’s more from the NFL’s two West divisions:

Staley isn’t the only coach headed to Denver, as the Broncos have also hired Wade Harman as their new tight ends coach, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. Harman was Atlanta’s offensive line coach in 2014, but switched to tight ends in 2015 and remained in that role through last season. He played a role in the development of Austin Hooper, who posted career-highs in receptions (71), yards (660), and touchdowns (four) last year. Broncos tight end Jeff Heuerman is a pending free agent, but even if he doesn’t return, Harman will work with young options such as Jake Butt and Troy Fumagalli, each of whom ended the 2018 campaign on injured reserve.
The Broncos are interviewing former guard Chris Kuper for their assistant offensive line coach job, per Mike Klis of 9News (Twitter link). Kuper, who spent his entire playing career (2006-13) in Denver, coached in Miami for the past three seasons. He’d be working under one of the NFL’s best offensive line coaches in Mike Munchak, who was hired earlier this week. In 2018, the Broncos ranked as a top-11 club in both adjusted line yards and adjusted sack rate, according to Football Outsiders.
Former Broncos safety Renaldo Hill is back with the club as secondary coach, tweets Klis. Hill’s playing career actually ended after general manager John Elway cut him following the 2010 season, but he’s gone on to an impressive coaching career since, and Klis notes Hill is considered a “rising star” in the coaching ranks. After six years in the college ranks, Hill acted as the Dolphins’ assistant defensive backs coach in 2018.
The Denver-to-Arizona connection is still going strong: the Cardinals have hired ex-Broncos coaches Marcus Robertson (defensive backs) and Greg Williams (assistant DBs), per Rapoport and Klis (Twitter links). Robertson and Williams will continue to work under new Arizona defensive coordinator Vance Joseph, who helmed the Broncos from 2017-18. In addition to Joseph, Robertson, and Williams, the Cards also brought former Broncos offensive line coach Sean Kugler aboard.
After hiring a new defensive line coach in Kris Kocurek, the 49ers will retain pass-rushing specialist Chris Kiffin, reports Matt Barrows of The Athletic. The son of Monte Kiffin and brother of Lane Kiffin, Chris Kiffin joined San Francisco in 2018 after previously serving in the college ranks.

Coaching Rumors: Judge, Lions, Fins, Eagles

February 9th, 2018 at 3:44pm CST by Sam Robinson

Other teams besides the Colts were interested in adding Patriots special teams coach Joe Judge, Mike Reiss of ESPN.com reports, but Judge and the Pats are finalizing a deal that will keep him in New England. The 36-year-old assistant will be the team’s special teams coordinator for a fourth season. The sides are ironing out minor details, but Reiss reports the deal to retain Judge is imminent, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reported earlier this week. Judge was a possible defection candidate if McDaniels had followed through on taking the Colts’ HC job.

Here’s the latest from the coaching circuit as we head into the offseason’s first official weekend.

Staying with special teams, the Lions are not going to overhaul their ST staff as they did their defensive coaching contingent. ST coordinator Joe Marciano and assistant ST coach Devin Fitzimmons will return next season, Alex Marvez of the Sporting News reports. An NFL special teams coach since 1986, Marciano has been with the Lions since 2015.
Detroit continued to configure its defensive staff on Thursday, hiring Bo Davis to instruct its defensive linemen, the team announced. Davis will join the Lions after spending most of the past two decades on Nick Saban‘s staffs at LSU, the Dolphins and Alabama. However, Davis’ Crimson Tide tenure — one that included coaching current Lions lineman A’Shawn Robinson, ended in 2016 when he resigned from Alabama due to NCAA violations. Davis, however, resurfaced at Texas-San Antonio last season and coached first-round defensive end hopeful Marcus Davenport.
The Eagles have lost their quarterbacks coach, but they are prepared to fill the void internally. Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer expects the team to move receivers coach Mike Groh to quarterbacks coach and assistant quarterbacks coach Press Taylor to WRs coach (Twitter link).
Former Dolphins safety Renaldo Hill will now work with the team as a coach, being hired as Miami’s assistant defensive backs coach. The team notes this is the 10th former Dolphins player to serve as a Fins coach. Hill, who played 10 NFL seasons and spent three seasons (2006-08) in Miami, has coached at Wyoming and the University of Pittsburgh since 2012. This will be his first NFL coaching gig.
Prior to hiring Tom Bradley to be their new defensive backs coach, the Steelers interviewed South Florida DBs coach Blue Adams, Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette tweets. Mike Tomlin coached Adams while he was an assistant at the University of Cincinnati.
Despite the Texans blocking the Broncos from interviewing Wes Welker, the Broncos will see their six-year strength and conditioning coach depart for Houston. Luke Richesson will become the Texans’ strength coach, 9News’ Mike Klis reports, with the team set to give him a bigger role than he had in Denver.

Zach Links contributed to this report.