The Miami Dolphins are in the market for a new offensive line coach, and it's awfully easy to connect the dots when it comes to Mike Munchak as an ideal candidate.
Munchak was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2001, eight years after a brilliant 12-year playing career during which he was selected to the Pro Bowl nine times.
So obviously he knows something about playing offensive line, and he's got 21 years of experience coaching the position.
Three of those 21 seasons came with the Denver Broncos from 2019-21 when the head coach was Vic Fangio, the same Vic Fangio the Dolphins will be bringing on to be their new defensive coordinator after the Super Bowl when his work as a consultant with the Philadelphia Eagles is over.
News of Fangio choosing the Dolphins offer after talking to other interested teams broke Thursday, and it was later in the day that the report of offensive line coach Matt Applebaum being fired first surfaced.
Now, we're not suggesting the two news items were related, but it's also tempting to connect the dots here.
Beyond the Fangio connection, though, hiring Munchak would be a coup for the Dolphins given not only Munchak's expertise but the fact he's well versed in the zone-blocking scheme that head coach Mike McDaniel likes to use.
MIKE MUNCHAK'S IMPRESSIVE NFL RESUME
With Munchak as offensive line coach, one-time Dolphins running back Phillip Lindsay topped the 1,000-yard mark in 2019, and Melvin Gordon and Javonte Williams each went over 900 yards in 2021.
Munchak was let go by the Broncos after the 2021 when they fired Fangio as head coach.
Before his time in Denver, Munchak serves as O-line coach with the Pittsburgh Steelers from 2014-18 and with Tennessee from 1997-2010. He was Titans head coach, compiling a 22-26 record, from 2011-13.
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