NFL rules restrict coaches under contract with a team from having an in-person interview with another team to fill a vacancy until January 19. The Miami Dolphins have been patient, conducting virtual interviews over the past week as they waited for the restriction to be lifted on Monday, and they are now set to have a busy day with multiple interviews as soon as permitted. According to multiple reports, Miami has three interviews scheduled tomorrow.
According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, the Dolphins are set to meet with Detroit Lions defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard on Monday morning. Sheppard, a former NFL linebacker, retired from playing the game in 2018 after an eight-year career including two seasons with the Dolphins, and moved into coaching in 2021 as the Lions’ outside linebackers coach. He moved up to the linebackers coach in 2022 and assumed the defensive coordinator position this year.
NFL Insider Josina Anderson reported earlier in the week that Las Vegas Raiders defensive coordinator Patrick Graham was planning to fly to Miami on Sunday to be ready for a Monday interview as well. Graham has been the defensive coordinator for the Raiders since 2022, following a two-year stint as the New York Giants defensive coordinator and assistant head coach. In 2019, Graham served as the Dolphins’ defensive coordinator. He has also coached for the Green Bay Packers, New England Patriots, Toledo, Notre Dame, Richmond, and Wagner in his career.
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Green Bay Packers defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley is scheduled to interview with the Dolphins on Monday as well. Hafley is seen as the frontrunner to become Miami’s next head coach, but he has an interview with the Tennessee Titans scheduled for Tuesday.
The interviews with Sheppard and Graham would meet the NFL’s Rooney Rule, which requires teams to interview two minority candidates for head coaching or general manager positions. If Hafley is their choice for the position, they could look to end Monday’s interview with the coach signed and announced as the team’s replacement for Mike McDaniel.
Hafley has spent the last two seasons as the Packers’ defensive coordinator following a four-year stint as the head coach at Boston College. He has worked at both the NFL and collegiate levels throughout his career, primarily focused on defense. In the NFL, he has worked with the Packers, San Francisco 49ers, Cleveland Browns, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
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