{"id":351002,"date":"2026-07-24T11:57:30","date_gmt":"2026-07-24T11:57:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/351002\/"},"modified":"2026-07-24T11:57:30","modified_gmt":"2026-07-24T11:57:30","slug":"dolphins-camp-should-miami-have-hired-someone-with-more-nfl-coaching-experience-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/351002\/","title":{"rendered":"Dolphins camp: Should Miami have hired someone with more NFL coaching experience?"},"content":{"rendered":"

With the Miami Dolphins\u2019 2026 season fast approaching, the South Florida Sun Sentinel ends its look at the top 10 storylines to watch ahead of the start of training camp on Wednesday<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

For the eighth consecutive time, the Dolphins opted for a first-time NFL head coach. This hiring cycle resulted in Jeff Hafley, the former Boston College coach who served as Green Bay\u2019s defensive coordinator the previous two seasons.\u00a0<\/p>\n

But should the Dolphins have strayed from habit and hired a veteran NFL head coach?<\/p>\n

Sean McDermott, the former Buffalo coach, was available briefly. He amassed a 98-50 record in nine seasons (2017-25), winning five AFC East titles and making two AFC Championship appearances.<\/p>\n

McDermott was fired on Jan. 19 around 9:40 a.m. ET; Hafley was hired on Jan. 19 around 5 p.m. ET.<\/p>\n

This isn\u2019t intended to be disrespectful to Hafley.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a question worth asking because the Dolphins\u2019 recent history with first-time NFL head coaches has been disappointing. And that\u2019s being kind.<\/p>\n

It should also be pointed out that the Dolphins had options aside from McDermott when it came to hiring someone with previous NFL head coaching experience.<\/p>\n

They interviewed new Atlanta coach Kevin Stefanski, who coached Cleveland (2020-26) and had a 45-56 record, and new Tennessee coach Robert Saleh, who coached the New York Jets (2021-24) and had a 20-36 record. Admittedly, neither, is an especially attractive option.<\/p>\n

Before going further, let\u2019s admit the obvious, which is that as soon as the Dolphins hired general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan was hired on Jan. 9, there was a very high likelihood that Hafley, Sullivan\u2019s colleague in Green Bay, and a finalist for the Tennessee job, would be hired as the Dolphins coach.<\/p>\n

Sullivan and Hafley frequently talked about various football topics during their two years together with the Packers. Sullivan, during the February introductory news conference for both, said Hafley wasn\u2019t gifted this job.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis process was thorough,\u201d Sullivan said. \u201cWe spoke with a lot of very, very talented coaches who brought a lot to the table, and it was a great process because in speaking with all of them, it just confirmed my conviction on that this was the right guy. I got to watch him work for two years. Jeff is a friend of mine; we\u2019ve become friendly over the last two years, but understand this hire was based on professional respect.\u201d<\/p>\n

Still, Hafley is a first-time head coach and the Dolphins haven\u2019t had much luck in that area recently.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s the list of recent the Dolphins\u2019 first-time head coaches (with years served and final records):<\/p>\n

\u2014\u00a0Mike McDaniel (2022-25; 35-33 record including playoffs);<\/p>\n

\u2014\u00a0Brian Flores (2019-21; 24-25 record);<\/p>\n

\u2014 Adam Gase (2016-18; 23-25);<\/p>\n

\u2014 Joe Philbin (2012-15; 24-28);<\/p>\n

\u2014 Tony Sparano (2008-11; 29-32);<\/p>\n

\u2014 Cam Cameron (2007; 1-15);<\/p>\n

\u2014 Nick Saban (2005-06; 15-17).<\/p>\n

The last time the Dolphins hired a coach with previous NFL head coaching experience was Dave Wannstedt (2000-04; 42-31), the former Chicago Bears coach (1993-98). Perhaps it\u2019s no coincidence Wannstedt is the last Dolphins coach to win a playoff game (2000).<\/p>\n

As for McDermott, he apparently hit a ceiling with Buffalo, which is the major reason he was fired. He never led the Bills to a Super Bowl despite having the prime years of star quarterback Josh Allen and a relatively talent-rich roster.<\/p>\n

On the other hand, Buffalo only had one winning season in the previous dozen years before McDermott was hired, so he oversaw a massive turnaround\/rebuild, something that should have appealed to the Dolphins.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Further, McDermott had to battle New England, which featured quarterback Tim Brady and coach Bill Belichick for AFC East supremacy, and then he had to battle Kansas City, which featured quarterback Patrick Mahomes and coach Andy Reid for AFC supremacy.<\/p>\n

In other words, McDermott waited behind one of the NFL\u2019s all-time great duos and then had to battle another of the NFL\u2019s all-time great duos. It\u2019s hard to blame him for losing to Kansas City twice in the AFC Championship game.<\/p>\n

But it\u2019s a results-based business and McDermott didn\u2019t get the job done.\u00a0<\/p>\n

So you can\u2019t blame the Dolphins for not being enamored.<\/p>\n

Still, you wonder if such a resume was at least worth an interview for the Dolphins, who went 2-7 against McDermott\u2019s Buffalo teams, including a 34-31 playoff loss in 2022.<\/p>\n

Plus, McDermott helped develop Allen, the one-time MVP who might be headed for the Hall of Fame. And he made the Bills a perennial AFC favorite.<\/p>\n

Regardless, the Dolphins decided McDermott wasn\u2019t worth an interview and once again went to their trend of hiring someone without previous NFL head coach experience.<\/p>\n

Perhaps it works this time.<\/p>\n

Previously addressed<\/p>\n

With Hill, Waddle gone, who will step up among Dolphins\u2019 pass-catchers?<\/a><\/p>\n

What to expect from Dolphins\u2019 offense this season under Bobby Slowik<\/a><\/p>\n

How does rookie CB Chris Johnson fit in the secondary?<\/a><\/p>\n

Dolphins shouldn\u2019t obsess about win-loss record in 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

What will the impact of offseason movement on Dolphins\u2019 O-line be?<\/a><\/p>\n

Here\u2019s what Dolphins fans can expect from Jeff Hafley\u2019s defense<\/a><\/p>\n

Will evaluating Dolphins QB Malik Willis be a challenge given this roster?<\/a><\/p>\n

Will Dolphins\u2019 top draft picks of recent years excel in 2026?<\/a><\/p>\n

What are realistic expectations for Dolphins in first year under Sullivan, Hafley?<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"With the Miami Dolphins\u2019 2026 season fast approaching, the South Florida Sun Sentinel ends its look at the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":351003,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[123,1763,125,124,60397],"class_list":["post-351002","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-miami","tag-miami","tag-miami-dolphins","tag-miami-headlines","tag-miami-news","tag-training-camp"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/351002","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=351002"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/351002\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/351003"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=351002"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=351002"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=351002"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}