Hafley Adding Experienced Assistant Coaches to His Staff

Hafley Adding Experienced Assistant Coaches to His Staff

Many Miami Dolphins fans were disappointed the organization wasn’t able to hire an experienced head coach such as John Harbaugh or Kevin Stefanski.

They are nervous that hiring another first-time NFL head coach will lead to the same results we have seen for over two decades, and they aren’t wrong in feeling that way.

I mean, the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result, correct?

But one thing that should give Dolphins fans pause, or at least some hope, with Jeff Hafley is that the staff he has assembled thus far has a wealth of experience on the NFL level in the roles they are in.

The crew he has assembled thus far will not be wet behind the ears or learning on the job, they will hit the ground running.

At wide receiver coach, Miami added Tyke Tolbert, one of the most respected wide receiver coaches in the NFL

He has been an NFL WR Coach for seven teams during his NFL career.

Arizona, Buffalo, Carolina, Denver, NY Giants, Chicago, and Tennessee.

For the Chicago Bears, he also served as their passing game coordinator.

Tolbert won a Super Bowl ring in Denver as their wide receivers coach in Super Bowl 50.

As special teams coordinator, the Dolphins hired Chris Tabor.

Tabor is 54 years old and served as the Buffalo Bills Special Team coordinator this past season.

He has previously been a special teams coordinator for the Carolina Panthers, Chicago Bears, and Cleveland Browns.

He also served as the Panthers’ interim head coach once Frank Reich got fired in 2023.

And was the head coach for the Chicago Bears during the COVID year when their head coach had to miss a game due to COVID.

Tabor was so beloved by Bills fans when the news broke that he had signed with Miami after Sean McDermott got fired, they were heartbroken.

Hafley also brought someone he worked with in Green Bay to South Florida to be his secondary coach, Ryan Downard.

Downard has been on the Green Bay staff since 2018, serving in various roles, including coaching defensive backs and safeties.

He started as a defensive quality control assistant, then served as assistant defensive backs coach, safeties coach, and, most recently, defensive backs coach since 2023.

For his offensive coordinator, Hafley kept a face from Miami’s staff last season: Bobby Slowik.

Slowik was Miami’s Sr. Passing Game Coordinator, but prior to that, he was the Houston Texans’ offensive coordinator for two seasons.

Some Dolphins’ fans may not like the hiring of Slowik, and I get it, he isn’t the most exciting hire in the world, but he does have experience in this role and has had some success in this role.

Look at his two years in Houston calling plays, and remember in both of those years Houston won the AFC South and won a Playoff Game with him as the offensive coordinator.

In 2023, here is how Houston’s offense ranked…

Total Yards 12^th

Total Points 14th

Total Offense 23rd

Rushing Offense  23^rd

Passing Offense 7th

Scoring Offense  14^th

Yards Per Play: 12^th 5.4 yards

Touchdowns Per game: 11^th 2.5 TD’s per game

Points per Game: 13^th 22.7 PPG

3^rd down Conversions Per Game 19^th with 4.9 conversions per game

Explosive Plays: 14^th (ahead of Pat Mahomes and KC, who were ranked 15^th)

In 2024, here is how Houston’s offense ranked in the same categories…

Total Yards 22nd

Total Points  19th

Total Offense 19th

Rushing Offense 15th

Passing Offense 21st

Scoring Offense 19^th

Yard Per Play 19^th 5.2 yards

Touchdowns Per game: 21^st 2.2 TD’s per game

Points Per Game: 18^th 22.0 PPG

3^rd down Conversions Per Game: 8^th: 5.4 (first place was Tampa Baywith 6.4)

Explosive Plays: 15th

So, while some Dolphins fans may not be over the moon with the hiring of Jeff Hafley as head coach, one thing they cannot say is that the staff he is assembling isn’t experienced and proven in the roles he is putting them in.

With more hires expected in the coming days and weeks to fill out his staff, expect Hafley to lean on experience and to surround himself with the best people.