A Look at the Coaches the Dolphins are Considering

A Look at the Coaches the Dolphins are Considering

With Jon-Eric Sullivan having been hired as the new general manager of the Miami Dolphins, it’s time to look ahead to who could land the head coaching gig.

The Dolphins have requested to interview three coaches who are still coaching during the playoffs. Robert Saleh, Klint Kubiak, and perhaps most interestingly, Chris Shula. If they chose to go with someone with more experience, they reportedly have expressed interest in John Harbaugh and Kevin Stefanski, the two men who have had varying levels of success in the AFC North, with Harbaugh winning a Super Bowl and Stefanski winning coach of the year twice. 

John Harbaugh seems like the white whale of this coaching cycle. Outside the Ravens, fans of teams with openings appear to covet the former Super Bowl champion.

The good news for Dolphins fans is that Adam Schefter reported that, upon hiring Sullivan, the team finally reached out to Harbaugh to interview for the next head coach. With the Ravens eliminated from playoff contention and reports that Harbaugh won’t be taking interviews until later this week, there’s nothing more to report on this front. 

Insider Dianna Russini reported that the Dolphins are expecting to interview 2 time coach of the year Kevin Stefanski this week.

However, the team has plenty of competition for his services with the Titans, Giants, Raiders, and Ravens having already met with him. While Stefanski had success with the Browns, his tenure was ultimately undone by the Deshaun Watson trade, as Watson never reached his previous MVP level of performance with the team while suffering several injuries. This past season, Stefanski put his hopes in rookie Dillon Gabriel, who struggled before turning to fellow rookie Shedeur Sanders.

Ultimately, neither rookie was able to save Stefanski’s job, and Cleveland let him go upon the conclusion of the season. With so many potential suitors, it’s unlikely that Stefanski will come to Miami, especially given the uncertainty around the quarterback position. 

San Francisco’s defensive coordinator and former New York Jets head coach, Robert Saleh, had the best performance of the weekend of the coordinators up for the Dolphins gig. His defense, despite injuries, held the defending champion Philadelphia Eagles to 167 passing yards and 19 points.

The 49ers would go on to win 23-19 to secure a spot in the divisional round. While he didn’t work out in New York, that can potentially be chalked up to the organization being a disaster. Saleh certainly put his name back on the map this weekend. 

Chris Shula is an intriguing name for no other reason than his being the grandson of Miami Dolphins legend Don Shula. Unfortunately for the younger Shula, the Rams’ defense was pitiful against the Carolina Panthers’ offense on Saturday.

The unit allowed 333 yards of offense and 31 points, fortunately for Shula the Rams offense was able to put up 411 yards and 34 points of their own which allowed Los Angeles to advance to the divisional round where they will face off against the Chicago Bears.

If they can stymie the Bears’ offense, we can seriously consider Shula. 

Klint Kubaik had the week off as the Seattle Seahawks were the 1 seed in the NFC. In the regular season, Seattle ranked in the top 10 in both yards per game (351) and points per game (28.4). He’s helped Sam Darnold continue to establish himself as a solid NFL quarterback and will have his biggest test of the season against Robert Saleh and San Francisco’s defense for the third time this season when they face off next Saturday. 

All things considered I still prefer that the Dolphins hire John Harbaugh, we’ve gone down the road of coordinators many times in the past to little success. Of the coordinators, Robert Saleh intrigues me; perhaps it really is the Jets that are the problem, and given the right situation, he could thrive. Of the names listed in this article, who would be your pick for the next head coach? Let me know in the comments.

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