The Miami Dolphins‘ only trade of the offseason (to date) was one they didn’t need to send into the league office.
The Dolphins and Packers swapped defensive assistants, with Anthony Campanile going to Green Bay and Joe Barry replacing him in South Florida.
Matt LaFleur on Miami Dolphins-Green Bay Packers Coach Swap
Both will coach linebackers for their new team. It’s the same role Campanile held in Miami, while Barry goes from Packers defensive coordinator to Dolphins position coach.
Mike McDaniel hasn’t yet weighed in publicly about the unofficial trade.
But PFN caught up with Packers coach Matt LaFleur this week at the NFL’s Annual League Meeting.
Here’s what he had to say about both men:
“Camp, there were a couple of teams after him. [New Packers DC Jeff] Hafley, I think he had to do his best recruiting to get him to come to Green Bay. Certainly, I did as well. But I think that, you know, we haven’t had players in yet, but I love the energy that he brings. I expect to see that on the field.
“And then in regards to Joe Barry, I think you guys know how I feel — or these guys know how I feel about Joe. I think he’s a tremendous person, phenomenal football coach. I was talking to Mike McDaniel about him the other day, or yesterday, as a matter of fact. I said ‘You’ve got one of my favorites.’ And I think he’s a guy that I think he will excel in that role down in Miami.”
Campanile, 41, was the Dolphins’ linebackers coach from 2020-2023 but was probably ready to move on after twice being passed over when defensive coordinator jobs opened up — in both 2023 and 2024.
The Packers also included run game coordinator to his new title.
Barry was replaced in January after three years as the Packers’ DC. His defense was top 10 in scoring (20.6) in 2023 but finished in the bottom half of the league in yards per play (5.4), yards per carry (4.4), and yards per pass (6.7).
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Barry, 53, also served as the defensive coordinator in Detroit and Washington over the course of a 22-year NFL career.
He’ll likewise serve as the Dolphins’ run game coordinator under first-year DC Anthony Weaver.
“Joe Barry, obviously, is a tremendous football coach,” Weaver said last month. “… Back in 2021 when I left Houston, me and Joe spent a lot of time conversating about the potential of joining up with the Chargers under Brandon Staley. That didn’t come to fruition, but through those conversations, we formed a friendship.
“Over the years, we’ve always kind of kept in touch, and then through mutual friends, I’ve obviously heard nothing but incredible things about him. So to add him to our staff with his wisdom and intellect and knowledge is a tremendous win for us as a team and then for me individually, as a guy that’s just been in it and most recently calling it.”