The Miami Dolphins have rotated through three defensive coordinators in head coach Mike McDaniel’s three-year tenure.
But despite the turnover on the defensive side of the ball, the offensive staff has remained largely intact. That’s in large part because of the offense’s success.
Yes, McDaniel himself is substantially involved on the offensive side of the ball, but Miami’s offensive coordinator deserves recognition as well. That man is Frank Smith.
Meet Frank Smith: The Under-the-Radar OC Leading One of the NFL’s Hottest Offenses
McDaniel gets much of the credit for Tua Tagovailoa’s evolution to franchise QB status and Miami’s transformation from fielding a vanilla attack to deploying nightmare fuel for defensive coordinators. And deservedly so. McDaniel is a brilliant offensive strategist and play-caller.
But his offensive coordinator, Frank Smith, has done a masterful job helping his head coach scheme up unique concepts that constantly catch defenses off guard. Smith has also built a unit that has squeezed the best out of Tagovailoa and an offensive line that frequently punches above its weight.
Let’s break down Smith’s NFL journey.
Smith has risen through the football ranks largely through his work on the offensive line.
His football journey began at Miami (OH), where he was a captain and three-year starter on the offensive line and played alongside future NFL legend QB Ben Roethlisberger.
After his playing career concluded, Smith jumped right into coaching at his alma mater. He spent two years as a graduate assistant before transitioning to Butler University in 2006.
Butler afforded Smith his first opportunity as a position coach. He was hired as the offensive line coach in his first season and was promoted to offensive coordinator the next season while retaining OL coach duties.
After the 2009 college season, Smith secured his first NFL coaching gig. Sean Payton’s New Orleans Saints hired Smith as an assistant offensive line coach, a role he retained for five seasons with the team.
In 2015, Smith got his first NFL position coach job: tight ends coach with John Fox’s Chicago Bears. Smith spent three seasons with Chicago before moving on to the Las Vegas Raiders in 2018, also as tight ends coach.
Smith’s coaching star began to rise in 2021 when he was hired by Brandon Staley’s Los Angeles Chargers. Smith went back to his OL roots as offensive line coach and run game coordinator, a title he held for just one season before McDaniel came calling with an offer to be his offensive coordinator in Miami.
In 2022, the Dolphins announced that they had hired McDaniel as their 11th head coach in team history, and Smith was one of McDaniel’s key hires.
Miami’s offense has improved vastly since Smith and McDaniel arrived. In 2023, the team ranked first in yards per game (401.3), first in passing yards per game (265.5), sixth in rushing yards per game (135.8), and second in points per game (29.2). This comes just two seasons after the team ranked near the bottom of the league in many offensive categories in 2021.
Miami’s success on offense under Smith has thrust a once little-known coaching talent into the national spotlight. During the 2024 head coach hiring cycle, Smith received an interview with the Carolina Panthers.
Though former Tampa Bay Buccaneers OC Dave Canales ultimately landed the gig, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Smith receive continued interest for top jobs, especially if the Dolphins’ offense continues to light up scoreboards in 2024.