Dolphins Hire Chris Tabor As ST Coordinator, Kyle Smith As Assistant GM

A few days into his tenure as the Dolphins’ head coach, Jeff Hafley has made the first addition to his staff. The Dolphins have hired Chris Tabor as their special teams coordinator, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

The 54-year-old Tabor is on his way to Miami after one season as AFC East rival Buffalo’s special teams coordinator. Tabor’s status with the Bills was uncertain after the club fired head coach Sean McDermott on Monday, but he’ll now become an ST coordinator with a fifth NFL team.

A coach at various colleges from 1993-2007, Tabor jumped to the pros as the Bears’ assistant ST coordinator in 2008. Dave Toub was then in charge of the unit, one that also had future Hall of Fame return man Devin Hester in the fold.

After three years working under Toub, Tabor ran the Browns’ ST unit from 2011-17. He and Hafley overlapped in Cleveland from 2014-15, when the latter was the Browns’ defensive backs coach.

Tabor returned to Chicago to lead its ST group from 2018-21, which preceded a two-year run in Carolina in the same role. He ended 2023 as the Panthers’ interim head coach, replacing the fired Frank Reich, but managed just one win in six games. Tabor didn’t coach anywhere in 2024.

With Tabor leading the Bills’ special teams in 2025, running back Ray Davis earned first-team All-Pro honors as a kick returner. Pro Football Focus ranked the unit ninth overall this season, while the Dolphins checked in at 28th. Craig Aukerman is now out after just one season as Miami’s ST coordinator.

In addition to bringing in Tabor, the Dolphins made another notable hire on Friday. The team added Kyle Smith as its assistant general manager, per Tom Pelissero of NFL Network. Smith, the son of former Chargers GM A.J. Smith, had been with the Falcons since 2021. The 41-year-old spent 2023-25 as the Falcons’ assistant GM under Terry Fontenot, whom they fired after the season. Smith will now team up with new Dolphins GM Jon-Eric Sullivan.

Coaching Rumors: Cardinals, Kingsbury, Webb, 49ers, Falcons, Petzing, Lions, Fraley, Jaguars, Commanders

As the Steelers and Bills’ searches get underway, the Browns, Cardinals and Raiders’ processes have shifted into the background a bit. Two candidates (Mike McDaniel, Jesse Minter) pulled out of the Cleveland search, while Kevin Stefanski exited the Vegas derby. No known candidates have interviewed for the Arizona job and withdrawn, but insider Jordan Schultz still expects the NFC West team to have a difficult time attracting a quality candidate. Citing an organizational reputation in paying lower-end money to coaches, as evidenced most recently by Jonathan Gannon‘s bottom-tier HC salary, Schultz also points to the Cardinals’ standing in the NFC West as a deterrent to candidates. The division produced three playoff teams this season, and the Cards have not booked a postseason berth since 2021. They also carry a significant QB decision, with some of Kyler Murray‘s 2026 money guaranteed. It is not a lock Murray will be traded or released, but the next HC has a sketchier path to landing a successor due to this draft’s makeup.

Here is the latest from the coaching carousel:

  • The Cardinals’ three-year OC, Drew Petzing, landed on his feet by winning the race for the Lions‘ play-calling post. Petzing can thank former Vikings coworker Hank Fraley, in no small part, for this job. Detroit’s O-line coach made a recommendation for Petzing, per SI.com’s Albert Breer, who adds the Lions’ push to keep Fraley — an OC candidate last year — made his word valuable on this year’s carousel. The Lions wanted some familiarity in their hire, Breer adds. While Petzing has never worked with Dan Campbell, his past with Fraley helped. Detroit was burned by familiarity last year, as John Morton‘s second Lions stint did not work out. But they will try their hand with Arizona’s previous play-caller (and ex-Vikings Mike Zimmer-era staffer).
  • Jeff Ulbrich intends to retain some of his staffers under Stefanski. The second-year Falcons DC appears set on keeping DBs coach Justin Hood. The 49ers requested a meeting with Hood for a high-ranking job, according to NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero, but the Falcons blocked it. (This would not have been for a DC job, as the Falcons could not block that.) Hood, 39, has only been in the NFL since 2021 and was not an Ulbrich hire. Hood was part of Jimmy Lake‘s defensive staff in 2024; prior to that, he was a three-year quality control coach with the Packers. But he is now an Atlanta priority.
  • Davis Webb remains in the Raiders’ HC search and has been connected to the Bills, impressing in interviews. The third-year Broncos QBs coach cannot complete another interview until next week, but a potential pairing with an OC has come up. Webb linking up with Kliff Kingsbury has circulated as a possibility, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler notes. This would be interesting given the experience disparity, as Kingsbury was Webb’s coach at Texas Tech. Webb, 30, played under Kingsbury, 46, for three seasons in Lubbock before transferring to Cal in 2016. Kingsbury is no longer in the running for any HC jobs but has been linked to the Ravens and Titans’ OC posts.
  • The Commanders are making another key promotion on their offensive staff. Darnell Stapleton, part of Dan Quinn‘s first two staffs, is moving up to the offensive line coach position, ESPN’s Dan Graziano tweets. Stapleton, 40, spent the past two years as Washington’s assistant O-line coach. That was his first NFL job, having come to the NFL after two seasons as Florida’s O-line coach. Stapleton has worked closely with new OC David Blough since coming to D.C., per Graziano. Shane Toub is moving into Stapleton’s former position. The son of longtime Chiefs ST coordinator Dave Toub, Shane spent the past three seasons as a quality control staffer. Dan Quinn kept him from Ron Rivera‘s final staff and is now promoting him to a position coaching role.
  • The Jaguars are hiring Dolphins cornerbacks coach Mathieu Araujo, CBS Sports’ Matt Zenitz tweets. Among the Jets’ DC candidates, Araujo evidently will not land that job. Araujo reunites with former Dolphins coworker Anthony Campanile, though the Jags’ current DC is still up for the Cardinals’ HC job. Araujo was on all four McDaniel Miami staffs, three of those including Campanile.

Dolphins Request OC Interview With Texans QBs Coach Jerrod Johnson

The Dolphins have requested to interview Texans quarterbacks coach Jerrod Johnson for their offensive coordinator vacancy, per The Athletic’s Dianna Russini.

This is the first official interview request for Johnson, though he is drawing from other teams as well, per KRPC2’s Aaron Wilson. The 37-year-old is a former quarterback who spent time with seven NFL teams, though he never appeared in a regular-season game.

After ending his playing career in 2016, Johnson took coaching fellowships with the 49ers (2017) and the Colts (2019). The latter opportunity turned into a full-time job as an offensive quality control coach. Johnson then took over as the assistant quarterbacks coach in Minnesota in 2022 before moving to Houston to develop first-round pick C.J. Stroud in 2023.

Stroud’s rookie season is certainly a feather in Johnson’s cap, but his regression over the last two years offers some reason for concern. Stroud has taken a step back in nearly every statistical category from his rookie season, though he only took 23 sacks in 2025 after 90 in his first two seasons.

The Dolphins also submitted a request to interview Cowboys assistant special teams coach Carlos Polk for their special teams coordinator vacancy, according to ESPN’s Todd Archer. Polk has held his current title with five different NFL teams dating back to 2010. This is his second stint in Dallas; he worked under Jason Garrett in 2019 before joining Brian Schottenheimer‘s staff last offseason.

Titans Seeking Experienced OC

Almost every head coaching candidate the Titans spoke to had experience in the position at the NFL level. Robert Saleh‘s staff will unsurprisingly target a veteran play-caller on offense as well.

So far, the Titans have been connected to former head coaches Mike McDaniel and Brian Daboll with respect to their offensive coordinator position. Daboll’s top OC destination appears to be Tennessee, although he is also interested in returning to the Bills as their head coach. The list of Titans targets is set to expand shortly.

According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, Tennessee’s options include former Commanders OC Kliff Kingsbury, Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith, Packers OC Adam Stenavich and Dolphins pass-game coordinator Bobby Slowik. Each have them has been a coordinator at the pro level before, and all but Stenavich have called plays during at least one NFL stint.

Kingsbury has conducted multiple head coaching interviews recently, and he was among the staffers linked to Tennessee in that regard. The former Cardinals HC also met with the Ravens about their offensive coordinator position. Without a hire taking place on either front, Kingsbury remains on the market at this point. His NFL stints have included time overseeing the development of quarterbacks Kyler Murray and Jayden Daniels, and working closely with Cam Ward during his second year and beyond will be a top priority for any OC hire.

Smith also met with the Titans early in their head coaching search. The 43-year-old was then linked to OC vacancies in Detroit and Los Angeles. The Lions and Chargers (provided Mike McDaniel does not land a head coaching position) have filled them, however. Smith thus looms as another offensive coordinator option with experience not only as a play-caller but as a head coach as well.

Slowik, 39, followed DeMeco Ryans from San Francisco to Houston in 2023. During his two seasons as the Texans’ offensive coordinator, Slowik’s unit ranked 13th and then 19th in scoring. He received an interview request from the Eagles, but one could also be coming shortly from the Titans. Stenavich has been with the Packers since Matt LaFleur‘s arrival in 2019. For the past four seasons, he has operated as Green Bay’s offensive coordinator (albeit without calling plays).

The Titans ranked 30th in total and scoring offense in 2025. Improving on the team’s showing under former head coach Brian Callahan and interim replacement Mike McCoy will be a major priority for next season, and a veteran OC will likely be leaned on to lead the way.

NFL Reserve/Futures Deals: 1/21/26

Today’s reserve/futures deals:

Atlanta Falcons

  • TE Joshua Simon

Chicago Bears

  • TE Qadir Ismail

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Rams

  • S Nate Valcarcel

Miami Dolphins

  • LB Seth Coleman

Philadelphia Eagles

San Francisco 49ers

Joe Brady, Brian Daboll, Anthony Lynn, Grant Udinski Among Bills’ HC Interview Requests; Klint Kubiak On Radar

An eventful Bills morning includes a host of candidates to replace Sean McDermott. As expected, offensive coordinator Joe Brady is on that list.

The three-year Buffalo OC will interview to replace his former boss, The Athletic’s Dianna Russini reports. A former Bills offensive coordinator — Anthony Lynn, currently the Commanders’ run-game coordinator — will also meet about the job, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Lynn, a two-year Bills staffer who finished his tenure as interim HC, will meet about the job Saturday.

[RELATED: 2026 NFL Head Coaching Search Tracker]

A name we also heard at the outset of the search process, Brian Daboll, is on the list as well. Daboll, the Bills’ OC from 2018-21, will interview, Russini tweets. Colts defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo will join him. A request also has gone out to Jaguars OC Grant Udinski, per NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero.

As the Dolphins have hired Jeff Hafley to be their HC, two-year Miami DC Anthony Weaver will likely head elsewhere. Weaver is on the Bills’ HC interview list as well, with Russini confirming he has received a request. Some of the Bills’ meetings will be in Buffalo, some in Florida, according to SI.com’s Albert Breer.

Teams generally veer in a different direction when they fire a head coach, making offense-minded candidates ones to watch closely in this Buffalo search. The Bills are also believed to be monitoring a candidate tied to one of the conference championship-bound teams. Seahawks OC Klint Kubiak is believed to be on the team’s radar, CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones notes.

Brady remains in the running for the Cardinals, Ravens and Raiders’ positions. On the radar for some of the jobs already filled, Brady is set to meet with Arizona and has a second Baltimore summit scheduled. He met with the Raiders virtually Sunday. Promoting Brady would be a way for the Bills to ensure continuity for Josh Allen, but given the team’s move to fire McDermott, is continuity what will be sought at this crucial point on the superstar quarterback’s timeline?

While Ken Dorsey was Allen’s OC between Daboll and Brady, the latter two are his most notable coordinators. Daboll was at the wheel when Allen morphed from a raw talent to a superstar, with the OC and Stefon Diggs receiving most of the credit for helping accelerate that development. Daboll, however, is coming off a rough three seasons with the Giants. The 2022 Coach of the Year did oversee an efficient Daniel Jones season in 2022, but he failed to avoid double-digit losses in 2023 and ’24 before being fired early in Jaxson Dart‘s Giants tenure.

Lynn was Buffalo’s OC to close the 2016 season, being elevated two times that year. Originally the Bills’ running backs coach to open Rex Ryan‘s tenure in 2015, Lynn climbed to interim OC and then replaced Ryan the following year. Lynn parlayed that into the Chargers’ HC job. Going 1-for-4 in playoff berths in Los Angeles, Lynn ended up as Dan Campbell‘s first Lions OC. Campbell stripped him of play-calling duties in 2021, leading to a one-and-done Detroit stay. Back on the position coaching tier since, Lynn has been with Washington since 2024.

Anarumo has not been a prominent name in this year’s cycle, but the Colts’ DC met about the Giants’ position. Udinski is deep in the Browns’ HC search, being set for a second interview this week. The 30-year-old made a big jump last year, going from assistant Vikings QBs coach to Jags OC. Udinski is just four months older than Allen.

Weaver is still in the thick of the Steelers and Ravens’ HC races, either being interviewed twice or having a second meeting scheduled with both. The Cardinals have also met with the two-year Miami DC.

Kubiak took meetings during the Seahawks’ bye week, but he is off limits for teams presently. The Bills cannot interview the first-year Seattle play-caller until after the Seahawks’ season ends. Kubiak is still up for the Cardinals, Ravens and Raiders’ positions.

The Bills have gone defense with their past two hires — Ryan and McDermott. Those represent the only HC hires of Terry Pegula‘s ownership tenure. Pegula bought the team during Doug Marrone‘s two-year run, which ended when the coach opted out of his contract following the 2014 season. Pegula and Brandon Beane, promoted to president of football ops, will be the key players in Buffalo’s first HC search in nine years.

2026 NFL Offensive/Defensive Coordinator Search Tracker

The 2026 head coaching carousel has now seen 10 jobs open since the start of the offseason, as the Bills have fired Sean McDermott. HC firings generally lead to coordinator changes, and several other teams have proceeded with OC or DC moves to start their offseasons. Here are the current OC and DC searches transpiring. As the remaining HC searches conclude, more coordinator searches will be added to this list.

Updated 1-23-26 (11:19pm CT)

Offensive Coordinators

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens 

Detroit Lions (Out: John Morton)

Kansas City Chiefs (Out: Matt Nagy)

  • Eric Bieniemy, running backs coach (Bears): Rehired

Los Angeles Chargers (Out: Greg Roman)

Miami Dolphins (Out: Frank Smith)

New York Giants (Out: Mike Kafka)

Philadelphia Eagles (Out: Kevin Patullo)

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Out: Josh Grizzard)

Tennessee Titans (Out: Nick Holz)

Washington Commanders (Out: Kliff Kingsbury)

Defensive Coordinators

Baltimore Ravens

Dallas Cowboys (Out: Matt Eberflus)

Green Bay Packers (Out: Jeff Hafley)

Los Angeles Chargers (Out: Jesse Minter)

New York Giants (Out: Shane Bowen)

New York Jets (Out: Steve Wilks)

  • Mathieu Araujo, cornerbacks coach (Dolphins): Interviewed
  • Ephraim Banda, safeties coach (Browns): Interviewed
  • DeMarcus Covington, defensive line coach (Packers): Interviewed
  • Chris Harris, interim defensive coordinator (Jets): Interviewed 1/18
  • Daronte Jones, defensive backs coach (Vikings): Interviewed
  • Jim Leonhard, defensive backs coach (Broncos): Interviewed
  • Don Martindale, defensive coordinator (Michigan): Interviewed
  • Jim O’Neil, defensive assistant/safeties (Lions): Interviewed

Tennessee Titans

Washington Commanders (Out: Joe Whitt)

Dolphins Hire Jeff Hafley As Head Coach

11:10pm: The Dolphins have signed Hafley to a five-year deal, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. The team has since announced the hire.

Jeff is a man of integrity, intellect and great passion who players will buy into and play for,” Sullivan said. “He has a vision for the kind of team we will be and the ability to motivate them to move in one direction on the path towards that goal. I’m thrilled to go on this journey with him and together we will build a winner that this organization deserves.

4:05pm: The Dolphins are close to naming a new head coach. They’re nearing an agreement with Packers defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports.

Since their search for Mike McDaniel‘s replacement began over a week ago, the Dolphins interviewed 10 head coaching candidates. Hafley became the first member of the group to set up a second interview, and he emerged as a frontrunner for the job on Saturday. Two days later, Hafley is in position to secure his first NFL head coaching gig.

Hafley, who drew widespread interest across the league during this hiring cycle, had scheduled second meetings with the Raiders and Titans. The Cardinals also wanted to interview him again, per Albert Breer of SI.com.

The 46-year-old Hafley will instead head to Miami, where he has a key connection in rookie general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan. Hafley spent the past two seasons in Green Bay, where he worked with Sullivan. The Dolphins are the second NFL organization for Sullivan, who was a Packers employee from 2004-25.

Sullivan was a firsthand witness to Hafley’s impressive work with the Packers, who boasted quality defenses in both seasons under his leadership. The Packers ranked top 10 in points (sixth) and yards (fifth) in 2024. The unit was less successful this season (11th scoring and 12th in total defense), but losing Micah Parsons to a season-ending ACL tear in mid-December proved too much to overcome.

The Packers fizzled out after a 9-3-1 start in losing four straight games to end the regular season. The club then blew a 21-3 halftime lead to the Bears during a 31-27 loss in the wild-card round. Head coach Matt LaFleur will now work to find a replacement for Hafley.

A former Siena wide receiver, Hafley began his coaching career with Worcester Polytechnic Institute in 2001. He served as a running backs coach that year, his lone season on the offensive side. Hafley was a college assistant on defensive staffs at Albany, Pittsburgh and Rutgers before jumping to the pros in 2012. He worked with defensive backs for the Buccaneers, Browns and 49ers through 2018, though Hafley went back to college as Ohio State’s co-defensive coordinator and DBs coach the next season.

After a one-year stint with the Buckeyes, Hafley became a head coach for the first time at Boston College. The Eagles went 22-26 and played in two bowl games under Hafley from 2020-23. He then left for the Packers.

In exiting Green Bay for Miami, Hafley will become the Dolphins’ eighth straight first-time NFL head coach. They haven’t selected an experienced HC since Dave Wannstedt landed the role in 2000. The Dolphins’ most recent playoff win came during Wannstedt’s first season at the helm. They’ve gone to the postseason just five times since then, including twice during the McDaniel era.

Although McDaniel guided the Dolphins to playoff berths in each of his first two seasons at the controls, the team sputtered to a 15-19 mark from 2024-25. Owner Stephen Ross made a change after a 7-10 campaign in which McDaniel benched high-priced quarterback Tua Tagovailoa with three weeks left in the season. Seventh-round rookie Quinn Ewers finished the year as Miami’s starting QB.

Picking Miami’s next head coach was the first major responsibility for Sullivan, who will cross off that task when Hafley’s agreement becomes official. Once Hafley assembles a staff, the Dolphins’ full attention will turn to their roster.

Whether to go forward with Tagovailoa will rank among the most important offseason decisions for the Dolphins’ new regime. Tagovailoa is open to a fresh start, which he could get under Hafley. Otherwise, cutting Tagovailoa would leave the Dolphins with a $99.2MM dead cap charge. That would likely make it more difficult for Hafley to lead a quick turnaround, but the Dolphins are confident they’ll right the ship under him.

Ravens Interview Anthony Campanile For HC, Set 2nd Meeting With Anthony Weaver

The Ravens’ hiring process to replace head coach John Harbaugh continued apace on Monday.

The team is conducting a first-round interview with Jaguars defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile on Monday, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter. They also scheduled a second, in-person meeting with Dolphins defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver for Tuesday, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.

Campanile is the 16th candidate for the Ravens’ head coaching job. The team’s interest in the 43-year-old was not previously reported. He only has one year of coordinator experience at the NFL level and one year as co-DC at Boston College, so he is a relatively inexperienced candidate compared to the rest of Baltimore’s list.

The Jaguars did just post their best defensive season since 2018, significantly boosting Campanile’s resume. The unit was good all year, but they turned it on in the second half of the season. During Jacksonville’s eight-game win streak that vaulted them into the AFC South lead, their defense allowed just 18.5 points per game and forced 14 turnovers. The unit could not do enough to slow Josh Allen during the wild card round, but Campanile’s regular-season success has earned him consideration for the Ravens’ head coaching gig, as well as the Dolphins’.

Weaver, who was part of Harbaugh’s staff for three years, was one of the team’s first candidates for their head coaching vacancy. He interviewed with them a week ago and is now set to return to Baltimore to be interviewed by his former colleagues. He is viewed as a strong leader and put up some impressive results during his two years in Miami, especially considering the lack of defensive talent on the Dolphins’ roster. Weaver will fulfill one of the Ravens’ two in-person minority interviews as required by the Rooney Rule as Baltimore moves closer to hiring their next head coach.

Steelers Expected To Conduct Second HC Interview With Anthony Weaver

With an uptick in in-person interviews set to take place over the coming days, plenty of movement could be imminent on the coaching front. The Steelers are among the eight teams in need of a head coach.

Pittsburgh has spoken with a number of candidates already, and that includes Dolphins defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver. A follow-up is now being arranged. Weaver is expected to interview in person with Miami this week, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

In addition to his first meeting with Pittsburgh, Weaver interviewed with the Cardinals, Falcons and Ravens as part of the initial round of their respective searches. The 45-year-old has never been a head coach at the college or NFL levels, but he did hold the title of associate head coach during the final two seasons of his three-year Ravens tenure. This will mark the first in-person interview for Weaver during the 2026 cycle.

A number of similarities existed with respect to each of the Steelers’ past three HC hires. Chuck Noll, Bill Cowher and Mike Tomlin were each 30-something staffers with a defensive background and a lack of prior head coaching experience when they arrived in Pittsburgh. Replicating the success from all members of that trio is the goal as the Steelers move forward following Tomlin’s resignation. Weaver’s background is on the defensive side of the ball, and he has worked as a D-coordinator on two occasions (Texans in 2020, Dolphins in 2024-25).

Miami’s coaching staff is set to undergo a number of changes once Mike McDaniel‘s replacement is brought in. Weaver’s fate remains uncertain at this time, with the Steelers looking into other HC options as well this week. It will be interesting to see if he emerges as a finalist for the position or if Pittsburgh heads elsewhere in the process of hiring Tomlin’s successor.

Here is an updated look at where things stand for the Steelers:

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