Dolphins’ Coaching Staff Taking Shape

After hiring Jeff Hafley as head coach, the Miami Dolphins are well into the process of reshaping their coaching staff. What began as a franchise reset is now moving into a more defined phase, as Hafley puts his imprint on the organization while balancing continuity with change.

The Miami Dolphins’ coaching staff is coming into focus, and the direction is clear. Hafley has leaned heavily on familiarity, bringing in coaches he previously worked with or trusted during his time with the Green Bay Packers, while reshaping nearly the entire staff from top to bottom.

Rather than making minor tweaks, Hafley has opted for a broad reset. Most position groups and coordinator roles now feature new faces, reflecting his belief that alignment and shared experience are essential to implementing his system quickly.

A significant portion of Hafley’s staff has direct ties to Green Bay or past stops in his coaching career. Those hires provide built-in continuity in terminology, expectations, and practice structure, a crucial factor for a first-year head coach trying to establish an identity.

By surrounding himself with assistants who already understand his defensive philosophy and coaching style, Hafley minimizes the learning curve that often slows down a new regime. That familiarity is especially evident on the defensive side of the ball, where Hafley’s influence is strongest and where the Dolphins are expected to see the most dramatic schematic changes.

While the overhaul has been extensive, Hafley has not completely wiped the slate clean. A small number of coaches from the previous regime have been retained, primarily to provide continuity and maintain relationships with players already on the roster.

Those holdovers appear to have been chosen carefully, based on their ability to adapt and fit within Hafley’s vision rather than familiarity alone. Their presence helps bridge the transition while reinforcing that every role on the staff must align with the new culture being installed.

The composition of the staff reflects more than just football strategy; it signals a cultural reset. Hafley’s approach emphasizes accountability, clear communication, and attention to detail. Coaches with prior experience working under him already understand those expectations and are equipped to reinforce them daily.

By reshaping most of the coaching staff, Hafley is making it clear that this is not a continuation of the previous era. Instead, the Dolphins are being rebuilt around a unified philosophy, one that prioritizes discipline and collective responsibility.

As offseason activities approach, the Dolphins’ coaching staff will soon shift from construction to implementation. The success of Hafley’s approach will depend not only on talent but on how quickly players buy into the new system.

Jeff Hafley is building a staff rooted in trust and familiarity, reshaping nearly every corner of the coaching operation while keeping just enough continuity to smooth the transition. It’s a bold approach, and one that signals a clear new chapter for the Dolphins.