Analyzing Dolphins' Initial Head Coach Interview Requests

The Miami Dolphins' coaching search is officially under way, just one day after the team hired Jon-Eric Sullivan as its new general manager and two days after firing Mike McDaniel. 

Multiple national reports have given us our first look at which coaches the Dolphins are interested in and which ones they’ve officially requested interviews for. Miami has reached out to former Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh and has interest in former Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski, according to national reports. 

The team has also requested interviews for Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak, former New York Jets and current San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh, and current Los Angeles Rams defensive coordinator Chris Shula. 

Here’s a look at the initial crop of candidates for Miami’s next head coaching job. 

Dolphins Finally Reach out to John Harbaugh 

Let’s start with the one that everyone cares most about: Harbaugh. After days of national and local reporting indicating the Dolphins hadn’t reached out to Harbaugh, it appears they finally have. 

ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that the Dolphins reached out to Harbaugh on the same day they hired Sullivan as the general manager (Friday). Harbaugh isn’t expected to take any head coaching interviews until next week. 

Harbaugh is apparently taking time this weekend to watch film on Jaxson Dart and Cam Ward, the top quarterbacks for the Tennessee Titans and New York Giants, according to The Athletic’s Dianna Russini. 

If current QB play is the deciding factor for Harbaugh, it’s hard to imagine that he’ll be too high on the Dolphins. Tua Tagovailoa bottomed out last season, and Quinn Ewers doesn’t have the upside Dart and Ward possess. 

Still, Harbaugh is connected to owner Stephen Ross, which should keep the Dolphins in the race for now. 

Miami’s Interest in Kevin Stefanski 

Russini also reported that the Dolphins would meet with the former Browns head coach next week. Stefanski has done four interviews so far and is clearly a popular candidate. 

Although some fans might scoff at hiring him after how bad Cleveland has looked at times, Stefanski was dealt a tough hand there. He was saddled with Deshaun Watson and his awful contract, while the team’s two rookie picks from this season, Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders, weren’t exactly top-of-the-line starters. 

Stefanski got the Browns to the playoffs twice. Once with Baker Mayfield and another time with Joe Flacco. In fact, Stefanski did win a playoff game in 2020, something the Dolphins haven’t done in quite a while. 

He’s also an offensive play-caller, so you don’t have to worry about getting that vital spot poached for other head coaching jobs. 

There are reasons to be skeptical of Stefanski, but there are also a lot of reasons to like him as a candidate. 

Dolphins Request Klink Kubiak, Robert Saleh, Chris Shula 

It doesn’t seem like Stefanski and Harbaugh are definitely taking meetings (yet) with the Dolphins, but multiple national reports indicate Kubiak, Saleh and Shula have been requested. 

Kubiak, the son of long-time coach Gary Kubiak, is the top hot-shot offensive coordinator candidate this cycle after helping the Seahawks become the top seed in the NFC. 

It feels a bit early for him, but he could pull from a lot of popular coaching trees from his staff and has proven he can get the most out of quarterbacks. 

Saleh is a somewhat surprising name. He’s pretty tight with McDaniel from their days in San Francisco, but he also spent time with the Packers as a consultant after he was fired by the Jets, giving him overlap with Sullivan. 

Saleh’s tenure with the Jets was rough, but he’s proven he can coach defense and is known for instilling a good culture. If he’s got a convincing plan for his offensive play-caller, he could be a reasonable candidate. 

Lastly, we’ll touch on Shula, who is, of course, the grandson of legendary Dolphins coach Don Shula. Chris is in his first season as the defensive coordinator for the Rams, and he’s done a great job. 

The Rams' scheme is diverse, and he’s gotten the most out of some underrated players throughout the season. However, he has just one year of play-calling experience, and he’s really only worked in the Rams organization. 

Shula and Saleh’s teams play this weekend, so they can’t interview until next week. Kubiak’s Seahawks are on a bye, so he could meet with the team this weekend. 

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