Following Vic Fangio’s departure from the Miami Dolphins after just one season as defensive coordinator, there were bound to be some shakeups on the defensive side of the ball.
The biggest move came late last week when the Dolphins hired coveted Baltimore Ravens assistant head coach and defensive line coach Anthony Weaver to replace Fangio as DC.
Now, Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel is further augmenting his staff.
Dolphins Hiring Joe Barry, Parting Ways With Anthony Campanile
The Dolphins are hiring former Green Bay Packers DC Joe Barry to be Miami’s run game coordinator and linebackers coach, PFN has confirmed and NFL Network first reported.
Barry spent the past three seasons as the defensive coordinator in Green Bay before being let go following the team’s Divisional Round loss to the San Francisco 49ers. Prior to his time with the Packers, Barry was Sean McVay’s assistant head coach and linebackers coach with the Los Angeles Rams.
The 53-year-old Barry has had two other stints as a defensive coordinator — in Washington from 2015-2016 and with the Detroit Lions from 2007-2008.
With Barry taking over as linebackers coach, the Dolphins will be parting ways with Anthony Campanile. Campanile had been with the Dolphins since 2020, when he was first hired as linebackers coach under Brian Flores. He was retained by McDaniel both in 2022 under DC Josh Boyer and following Miami’s hiring of Fangio in 2023.
Campanile was probably best known to Dolphins fans for his highlight cameo appearance on this year’s version of in-season Hard Knocks. He received at least two interviews for DC roles this offseason: as an in-house candidate for the Dolphins and with the New York Giants.
The Dolphins instead went with Weaver, while the Giants reportedly landed on former Tennessee Titans DC Shane Bowen. Campanile has since been hired by the Packers, who are reportedly adding the now-former Dolphins coach for the same role his replacement, Barry, secured in Miami — run game coordinator and linebackers coach.
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Barry, of course, brings plenty of experience to a defensive staff inserting a first-time coordinator. Though the 43-year-old Weaver was already receiving head coaching interviews this cycle, he’s only had one season as a coordinator (with the Houston Texans in 2020).
With Barry in the fold, Weaver will have an experienced defensive play-caller whom he can bounce ideas off of.
Barry’s defenses saw mixed results in Green Bay. Over the past three seasons, his units ranked 17th, 17th, and ninth in yards allowed, respectively. Yet, they fared slightly better in points allowed, ranking 10th, 17th, and 14th.
It was against the run that Barry’s units really struggled most recently, ranking in the bottom seven in both 2022 and 2023. Conversely, the Packers’ pass defense ranked in the top 10 in each of the past two seasons.
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