Latest On NFL’s Dolphins Investigation
The NFL’s probe into the Miami Dolphins, and in particular owner Stephen Ross, has begun. According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, the result of the investigation could cost Ross the team. 
This stems from the allegations former Dolphins head coach Brian Flores made against Ross that included, among other things, $100K payments for each loss during the team’s rebuilding 2019 season. The league announced it would open an investigation one day later. If proven to be true, Ross could face a wide range of consequences.
As Rapoport writes, Ross’ discipline “could be severe, up to and including [him] losing the team by a vote of fellow owners”. That option, while extreme, is a possibility, according to commissioner Roger Goodell, who recently stated, “I do believe that clubs do have the authority to remove an owner from the league”. Rapoport adds that a three-fourths majority vote would be required for such an action to take place.
From the outset, Ross has denied any wrongdoing, calling Flores’ allegations “false, malicious and defamatory”. He also stated an intention to cooperate fully with the investigation. Goodell added that the league’s next actions will, of course, not be determined until after the facts of the probe have been established. When that time comes, though, its ramifications could clearly be far-reaching for Ross.
Updated 2022 NFL Draft Order
With Super Bowl LVI finished, the final two places in the 2022 Draft have been finalized. The Bengals’ top pick is locked into 31st, while the Rams will not have a selection until the third round. For the rest of the league, the focus has already shifted to free agency and the draft, of course, so now all eyes will be on the offseason maneuvering teams do to reshape their rosters.
For non-playoff teams, the draft order is determined by the inverted 2021 standings, plus a series of tiebreakers, starting with strength of schedule. For playoff teams, the order is determined by their postseason outcome and regular season record.
Pending trades, here is the final first round order of the 2022 Draft:
- Jacksonville Jaguars: 3-14
- Detroit Lions: 3-13-1
- Houston Texans: 4-13
- New York Jets: 4-13
- New York Giants: 4-13
- Carolina Panthers: 5-12
- New York Giants(via Bears)
- Atlanta Falcons: 7-10
- Denver Broncos: 7-10
- New York Jets (via Seahawks)
- Washington Football Team: 7-10
- Minnesota Vikings: 8-9
- Cleveland Browns: 8-9
- Baltimore Ravens: 8-9
- Philadelphia Eagles (via Dolphins)
- Philadelphia Eagles (via Colts)
- Los Angeles Chargers: 9-8
- New Orleans Saints: 9-8
- Philadelphia Eagles: 9-8
- Pittsburgh Steelers: 9-7-1
- New England Patriots: 10-7
- Las Vegas Raiders: 10-7
- Arizona Cardinals: 11-6
- Dallas Cowboys: 12-5
- Buffalo Bills: 11-6
- Tennessee Titans: 12-5
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 13-4
- Green Bay Packers: 13-4
- Miami Dolphins (via 49ers)
- Kansas City Chiefs: 12-5
- Cincinnati Bengals: 10-7
- Detroit Lions (via Rams)
AFC Coaching Notes: Colts, Bills, Jaguars, Ravens
Since Frank Reich was able to land defensive coordinator Gus Bradley to replace Bears’ head coach Matt Eberflus, Bradley has begun the process of putting his staff together. Today Bradley added longtime defensive backs coach Ron Milus to coach his secondary, according to ESPN’s Field Yates. Milus first started coaching defensive backs at his alma mater, the University of Washington, about eight years after playing cornerback there. He held the college position for seven years before getting an NFL coaching opportunity in 2000. Since then, Milus hasn’t spent a season out of work with stints in Denver, Arizona, New York (Giants), St. Louis, Carolina, San Diego, and Las Vegas. His longest stint was with the Chargers, spending eight years in southern California and transitioning with the team to Los Angeles. It was in Los Angeles that Milus was retained when Bradley joined the Chargers’ staff. He followed Bradley to Las Vegas and will join him once more in Indianapolis.
Here are a few other coaching notes from around the AFC starting with another bit from the Hoosier State:
- In addition to Milus, Mike Chappell of Fox59 reports that Indianapolis is also in the process of hiring linebackers coach Richard Smith, who worked with Bradley and Milus in Las Vegas and Los Angeles. Smith has coached in the NFL since he debuted for the Houston Oilers in 1988 coaching special teams and tight ends. He found his niche as a linebackers coach in 1997 for the 49ers and has had three short stints as a defensive coordinator in Miami, Houston, and Atlanta.
- ESPN’s Yates also tweeted out a report that the Bills have added former QB Kyle Shurmur on staff in a defensive quality control position. After four years at Vanderbilt, Shurmur signed as an undrafted free agent with the Chiefs, spending time on their practice squad as well as on the Bengals’ and Washington’s practice squads. He was released by Washington a little over a month ago and that appears to mark the end of his playing career. He seems to be following in the footsteps of his father, Pat Shurmur, and joining the coaching track.
- A castaway from the Matt Nagy Bears’ staff, outside linebackers coach Bill Shuey will not be without work for long as Curtis Crabtree of NBC Sports reports that Shuey is joining Doug Pederson‘s staff in Jacksonville in the same role. Shuey and Pederson had two separate tenures together in Philadelphia.
- Pederson also made a crucial move of retaining running backs coach Bernie Parmalee. Aaron Wilson of Pro Football Network tells us that keeping Parmalee was a priority for Pederson, especially due to his strong relationship with star running back James Robinson.
- Baltimore has hired Rob Leonard as outside linebackers coach, according to ESPN’s Jamison Hensley (Twitter). Leonard will replace Drew Wilkins who left to join Brian Daboll‘s staff in New York. Leonard spent the past three seasons in the same position with the Dolphins. Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic adds that former Michigan analyst Ryan Osborn will follow Mike Macdonald to the Ravens for a quality control position. Osborn is credited with having a role in the development of Wolverines’ EDGE players like Aidan Hutchinson and David Ojabo.
Dolphins To Retain Eric Studesville, Hire New Offensive Line Coach
In addition to keeping DC Josh Boyer and special teams coordinator Danny Crossman, the Dolphins are also retaining more coaches from Brian Flores‘ most recent staff. This includes one of Flores’ final offensive coordinators.
Eric Studesville will return on Mike McDaniel‘s first staff, according to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. Co-offensive coordinator along with George Godsey in 2021, Studesville will stay on as Miami’s running backs coach. Godsey will not be back and is now part of the Ravens’ staff, taking a job as their tight ends coach.
Studesville was previously Miami’s running backs coach under Flores but rose to the co-OC position last year. McDaniel will mark Studesville’s third boss in Miami, with Flores also keeping him around as a holdover. Adam Gase initially brought Studesville to Miami in 2018. The veteran coach was previously with the Broncos for eight years, serving as their interim HC in 2010 and staying on as running backs coach under John Fox, Gary Kubiak and Vance Joseph.
The Dolphins are still conducting OC interviews. Whoever lands the job will be the team’s seventh OC in the past six seasons. The team has interviewed Falcons QBs coach Charles London, Chargers offensive line coach Frank Smith and Saints wide receivers coach Curtis Johnson thus far. Miami will also retain defensive line coach Austin Clark, linebackers coach Anthony Campanile and cornerbacks coach Charles Burks, Jackson adds.
Miami’s O-line coach role has also been in flux for years, and there appears to be another new hire en route. While Jackson notes incumbent Lemuel Jeanpierre had not been informed of his status as of Friday, Pete Thamel of Yahoo.com tweets the Dolphins are expected to hire Boston College O-line coach Matt Applebaum to the same position. Given the team’s O-line situation, which saw multiple young blockers (Robert Hunt, Austin Jackson) change positions over the past year, this is a fairly key hire.
This will be a big jump for Applebaum, who was at the Division I-FCS level as recently as 2019. He did spent four years in the NFL previously, spending time as an assistant with Washington and Jacksonville in the early 2010s. This continues a pattern for the Dolphins, who have not employed the same O-line coach in consecutive seasons since John Benton headed up the unit from 2014-15.
Dolphins To Interview Frank Smith For OC Job
Mike McDaniel continues to look for an offensive coordinator. The Dolphins will interview Chargers run game coordinator/OL coach Frank Smith for their OC job, reports NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero (via Twitter).
[RELATED: Dolphins Retain Josh Boyer As DC]
Smith joined the Chargers just last offseason. He spent the previous three years with the Raiders as their tight ends coach, overseeing the development of Darren Waller. The veteran coach also served as the Bears tight ends coach for three years, and he had a five-year stint as the Saints assistant offensive line coach (during which time the Saints had four OLs earn Pro Bowl nods: Jermon Bushrod, Jahri Evans, Ben Grubbs, and Carl Nicks).
We previously heard that Curtis Johnson was a candidate for the OC job in Miami. The Dolphins were set to interview the long-time Saints coach for the vacancy.
Elsewhere on the Dolphins staff, McDaniel will be retaining a handful of coaches. In addition to defensive coordinator Josh Boyer, the Dolphins will also be keeping linebackers coach Anthony Campanile, cornerbacks coach Charles Burks, and defensive line coach Austin Clark on the staff (per Barry Jackson of Miami Herald on Twitter).
Dolphins Retain Josh Boyer As DC
While the coaching staff in Miami has seen some notable changes this offseason, the man at the head of the defense will be remaining with the team. As Pro Football Talk’s Josh Alper writes, Josh Boyer will be retained as the Dolphins’ defensive coordinator.
New head coach Mike McDaniel has been busy assembling his staff on the offensive side of the ball. Yesterday saw the addition of Jon Embree as assistant head coach, along with Wes Welker to coach the teams’ wide receivers. The search for a new offensive coordinator also began, as the team interviewed veteran coach Curtis Johnson for the position.
On the defensive staff, though, continuity was expected given not only McDaniel’s status as a first-time HC, but the unit’s success in the latter half of the season in particular. It was reported at the beginning of the week that Boyer was one of several members of the defensive staff McDaniel would be trying to keep in place, so this news isn’t a surprise.
Boyer, 45, began his NFL coaching career with the Patriots in 2006, where he worked with the team’s secondary. When Brian Flores left Foxborough to take the HC job with the Dolphins in 2019, Boyer followed. After one season working with Miami’s cornerbacks, he replaced Patrick Graham at the DC role.
The Dolphins tied for fifth in the NFL in sacks this past season, with 48, giving up scoring (21.9) and yardage (337.5) totals that are more than respectable, given the team’s offensive struggles. With a familiar face at the helm in 2022, they’ll look to build on that foundation.
Dolphins To Interview Curtis Johnson For OC Job, Add Wes Welker To Staff
After hiring Jon Embree as assistant head coach/tight ends coach earlier today, the Dolphins are now eyeing offensive coordinator candidates. According to Aaron Wilson of Pro Football Network, the team is interviewing Curtis Johnson for their OC job.
[RELATED: Dolphins To Hire Jon Embree As Assistant Head Coach]
Johnson has had two long stints with the Saints, most recently as a senior offensive assistant (and wide receivers coach in 2021). The 60-year-old also had a stint as the Bears WRs coach, and he was head coach at Tulane between 2012 and 2015. Johnson coached at Miami (FL) between 1996 and 2005, so this would be a bit of a homecoming for the veteran coach.
Meanwhile, Armando Salguero reports (via Twitter) that the Dolphins have hired Wes Welker as their wide receivers coach. Welker appeared in 46 games for the Dolphins before turning into a Pro Bowler with the Patriots. Since his playing career ended, Welker has switched to coaching. He served on the Texans coaching staff in 2017 and 2018, and he’s been the 49ers wide receivers coach since 2019.
One coach who won’t be sticking around Miami is Gerald Alexander. According to Cameron Wolfe of NFL Network (on Twitter), the Dolphins have fired the defensive backs coach. Wolfe described this as a “shocking move” considering how Alexander is viewed in NFL circles. The former second-round pick switched to coaching following his playing career, and he had been with the Dolphins since 2020.
Dolphins To Hire Jon Embree As Assistant Head Coach
It appears the first addition to Mike McDaniel‘s staff in Miami will be a familiar face. Miami is hiring Jon Embree under the twin roles of assistant head coach and tight ends coach, according to Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle.
[Related: Dolphins Hire Mike McDaniel As Head Coach]
Embree has been an NFL coach dating back to 2006. He is most well known for coaching tight ends, the role he served in Kansas City, Washington, Cleveland and Tampa Bay prior to joining San Francisco in 2017. There, he not only coached the unit featuring George Kittle, but also worked alongside McDaniel, who was hired by the Dolphins earlier this week. Embree also had the assistant head coach title he will be retaining in Miami.
The success Kittle has had under Embree’s tutelage has garnered the 56-year-old plenty of praise around the league. That translated to interest from the Broncos, who interviewed him to be their TEs coach prior to this hire.
It surprised many that Embree was even available to leave the Bay Area to begin with. His contact expired at the end of the season, and he declined to take a significant pay cut to remain with the 49ers. Instead, San Francisco hired ex-Chargers’ HC Anthony Lynn to serve as assistant head coach. As Branch notes, the 49ers have yet to hire a new TEs coach.
Coaching Notes: Wilks, Bills, Dolphins, Bears, Broncos
Steve Wilks is back with the Panthers. The team announced that they’ve hired the veteran coach as their new defensive pass game coordinator/secondary coach.
Wilks played for the Carolina franchise during his stint in the AFL, and his first coaching gig was at a nearby college. Of course, Wilks also worked for the Panthers, starting as a defensive backs coach before working his way up to assistant head coach and defensive coordinator.
The 52-year-old had a brief stint as the Cardinals head coach in 2018 before moving on to Cleveland as the Browns defensive coordinator in 2019. Now, he’s back in Carolina, replacing now-Raiders defensive pass-game coordinator Jason Simmons.
More coaching notes from around the NFL…
- The Bills have a new special teams coordinator, as the team announced the promotion of Matthew Smiley. The veteran coach has spent the past five years in Buffalo, serving as assistant ST coach. Per the team’s announcement, Smiley played a significant role in the development of kicker Tyler Bass and returner Andre Roberts. Smiley will replace Heath Farwell, who will be joining the Jaguars coaching staff.
- Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel will be retaining special teams coordinator Danny Crossman, reports ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler (via Twitter). Crossman has been with the Dolphins since 2019, and he earned a promotion to assistant head coach in 2021. The 55-year-old previously served as the ST coordinator with the Bills, Lions, and Panthers.
- Matt Eberflus continues to add to his coaching staff. The Bears announced that they’ve hired Tim Zetts as their assistant tight ends coach and Omar Young as an offensive quality control coach. The two coaches both have connections to the Packers franchise. Meanwhile, Charean Williams of ProFootballTalk.com writes that the Bears also hired David Walker as their new running backs coach. The 52-year-old last coached in 2018.
- Ben Steele will be the Broncos new assistant offensive line coach, per Mike Klis of 9News in Denver (via Twitter). Chris Kuper, who previously served in the role, has been let go. Steele will report to Butch Barry, who is the full-time OL coach.
Jaguars Interview Gerald Alexander For DC
The Jaguars’ defensive coordinator search does not appear complete just yet. A day after being connected to a Mike Caldwell hire, the Jags are interviewing a Dolphins staffer for the gig.
Dolphins defensive backs coach Gerald Alexander is interviewing for the job Wednesday in Jacksonville, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. This continues a swift rise for the young assistant, who moved up from the college level in 2020. The Jags and Caldwell have not finalized a deal yet, per The Athletic’s Greg Auman (on Twitter), opening the door for more candidates.
Alexander, 37, played five NFL seasons; two of those (2009-10) came with the Jaguars. The former second-round pick started 13 games with the Jags during that stretch. While Alexander’s playing career took on a journeyman arc, he has moved up the coaching ranks quickly. A Buccaneers intern in 2016, Alexander moved to Montana State and Cal as a DBs coach from 2016-19 before catching on with Brian Flores‘ staff in 2020. This is Alexander’s first coordinator interview.
Caldwell may still be the favorite here, given the Tampa Bay linebackers coach’s connection to Doug Pederson and experience as an NFL staffer. But Alexander appears to be a name to watch going forward.