The Denver Broncos became the first of the nine NFL teams with head coach vacancies to act, hiring Green Bay Packers offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett Thursday morning. The decision could have massive ripple effects throughout the NFL, starting with the fate of Aaron Rodgers. But the most immediate beneficiaries of the Broncos hiring Hackett are the Miami Dolphins. Could Hackett’s hiring in Denver mean Brian Daboll or Dan Quinn wind up in Miami?
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How Nathaniel Hackett hire impacts the Miami Dolphins
It’s pretty straightforward: Hackett wasn’t on the Dolphins’ list of candidates. He was one of the most coveted coaches in this cycle. Nonetheless, for whatever reason, Stephen Ross and Chris Grier weren’t interested (or perhaps he wasn’t interested in them).
With one of the nine vacancies filled, all seven of the Dolphins’ known candidates are still on the board: Rams assistant head coach Thomas Brown, Bills offensive coordinator Brian Daboll, Bills defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier, Cardinals defensive coordinator Vance Joseph, Cowboys offensive coordinator Kellen Moore, and Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn.
Despite interviewing with three teams, Moore is not expected to become a head coach this cycle, Pro Football Network NFL Insider Aaron Wilson reported Tuesday. So, barring a surprise candidate that no one has reported, that leaves six names. Three have drawn interest from multiple teams (Daboll, Frazier, and Quinn). On the other hand, there are three whose only known interview is with Miami (Brown, Joseph, and McDaniel).
The market tells you what it thinks, at least in 2022, about Brown, Joseph, and McDaniel. While it’s certainly possible that every other team is wrong and the Dolphins are right about these three, the team’s recent history — three coaches fired since 2015 — suggests otherwise.
Is Brian Daboll or Dan Quinn the next domino to fall?
As we reported Wednesday, momentum is building for Daboll to become the Dolphins’ next head coach. This is not to say he definitely will become their next coach. It simply means he’s near, if not at the top, of their list.
But they have competition for Daboll — namely, the New York Giants, who are also considering Quinn, Frazier, and ex-Dolphins coach Brian Flores for their opening. The sense has been Daboll might ultimately have his choice of jobs — New York or Miami — but this is where the Hackett news could change things.
There was wide belief that Quinn was the front-runner for the Broncos’ opening. That belief turned out to be wrong (or else something changed). The Broncos were determined to land Hackett. With the possibility of convincing Rodgers to follow him to Denver, Broncos brass preempted his second interview with the Jaguars with a job offer.
That means Quinn, a candidate in Chicago, Jacksonville, Miami, Minnesota, and New York, is still available.
Perhaps the Giants now move to hire him. Or maybe the Dolphins will tinker with the order of their wish list and put him on top of the board. Either way, one of the top coaches in this year’s cycle remaining on the market is good news for a Dolphins team that many feared might end up with their third or even fourth choice.
UPDATE: The news, first reported by NFL Network, that the Bears are close to hiring Colts defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus as their next head coach is more good news for the Dolphins. He also was not one of their seven candidates.
UPDATE 2: Quinn will not be a head coach in 2022. He is staying in Dallas, per NFL Network, despite speaking with six teams about their openings.
UPDATE 3: The Dolphins have planned second interviews next with three offensive coaches: Moore, McDaniel and Daboll, per NFL Network. It is our understanding that Daboll is the preferred candidate of the three. Meanwhile, NFL Network also reports that they intend on keeping most of their current defensive assistant coaching staff in place, regardless of who they hire.