How Hafley Is Making a Strong First Impression

Originally posted on Miami Dolphins on SI
By Alain Poupart | Last updated Apr 14, 2026 1:50 PM ET

The Jeff Hafley era for the Miami Dolphins is still in its infancy, with the team in the middle of its second week of the offseason program.

The Dolphins got things kick-started last week when all teams with new head coaches could start the offseason program, two weeks before every other team.

And though the Dolphins still may be only in Phase One, Hafley still has found a way to make an early impression on his players as they go through conditioning and meetings.

"Coach Haf is dialed," tight end Greg Dulcich said during a Zoom media session Tuesday. "You know, we've got high standards and I think that' what you want, especially when you get a new head coach and everyone has so far bought in. The standard is gonna be living up to that for every single week. It's easy to do it in the first week, kind of listening to what he has to say because he's always gonna bring the juice, I can already tell. So it's on us really to feed off of that and they're gonna do a good job fostering a culture for us to sort of follow up."

Aside from quarterback Malik Willis and safety Zayne Anderson, who the Dolphins both signed as free agents from Hafley's former team, the Green Bay Packers, this has been their first exposure to the new Dolphins head coach.

"Coach Haf, man, just a good guy," edge defender David Ojabo said. "Man, he's about his business. He says, 'You show me better.' He even came in and said for him, he's not about to tell us what he's about to be about. He's just about show us. He hasn't talked to anybody to my knowledge about what he sees because we're in the stage of showing right now, you know, let's be real to the Dolphins. Chatter won't do us any good. We have to go out and prove to the rest of the league what we're about."

The Dolphins will be wrapping up Phase One this week before they conduct a three-day voluntary veteran minicamp next Tuesday through April 23 before the start of the 2026 NFL draft that night.

That will be followed by a rookie minicamp May 8-9 and the start of OTAs on May 18.

That's when some on-field coaching will be permitted, per NFL rules.

That's another time where Hafley will be able to make another first impression.

"He's a cool coach," veteran safety Lonnie Johnson Jr. said. "I've dealt with a lot of coaches, so I have to see how he is on the field when it's time for us to get on the field for me to really analyze, like, what type of personality he really has. Right now is just the small talk. You talk to him and you get to know him a little bit. He's getting to know me as a player. And then that's pretty much it right now. So far as football wise, when we get on field, that's when you see what type of coach he would be."