The New England Patriots will face the Houston Texans on Sunday with the goal of advancing to the AFC Championship Game. Meanwhile, their division rivals the Miami Dolphins are getting a new head coach.
Of course, the Dolphins would rather be in the Patriots’ position right now. However, the Dolphins will want to secure their coaching hire after seeing how Mike Vrabel performed in his first year with the Patriots. Jeff Hafley “has emerged as the frontrunner for the Dolphins’ head coaching job,” according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.
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Hafley has never been a head coach in the NFL, but was the head coach at Boston College from 2020 to 2023. Eric Beeston of Bleacher Report predicts the Dolphins will eventually hire Hafley as their new head coach.
“The Packers defensive coordinator had stops in Tampa Bay, Cleveland and San Francisco before entering college, where he joined Ohio State’s staff and eventually became the head coach at Boston College. He returned to the NFL with the Packers in 2024,” Beeston wrote on Sunday. “After four seasons under an offensive-minded head coach in McDaniel, it makes sense that the organization would want to hire a defensive-minded coach to try to return to glory and win a championship in Miami.”
Hafley has spent the past two seasons as the Green Bay Packers’ defensive coordinator. Hafley has helped the Packers return to great defensive form after years of below-average performance. In his first season as coordinator, the Packers ranked sixth in points allowed and fifth in yards allowed.
Hafley’s team performed well last season, but eventually injuries to defensive players plagued it. Injuries to Micah Parsons and Devonte Wyatt have proven difficult to overcome. Still, the Packers rank in the top half of the league in yards allowed and points allowed.
Hafley coached under two successful NFL coaches, Matt LaFleur and Kyle Shanahan. He could be a great addition for the Dolphins and give the Patriots a hard time next season.
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Unlike when the Patriots hired Vrabel, the Dolphins have some question marks at quarterback. That could be a big hurdle for Hafley, a defensive-minded coach. The Dolphins not only need to finalize a head coaching hire, but also a plan at quarterback.
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