Dolphins Request HC Interviews With Cardinals’ Vance Joseph, Cowboys’ Kellen Moore
Vance Joseph has enjoyed some eventful years since leaving Miami in 2017. The Dolphins, however, are interested in bringing the veteran defensive coach back to south Florida.
The Dolphins requested a head-coaching interview with Joseph, Albert Breer of SI.com tweets. This follows the team’s interview summons for Brian Daboll, Mike McDaniel, and Dan Quinn. Joseph, however, has more familiarity with the franchise. This marks Joseph’s first connection to an opening this year.
In addition to the Joseph inclusion, the Dolphins sent out a request to meet with Cowboys OC Kellen Moore, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets.
Prior to taking the Broncos HC job, Joseph spent the 2016 season as the Dolphins DC. That did not go particularly well, with Miami ranking 29th in total defense that year. Nevertheless, Joseph impressed enough to beat out Kyle Shanahan to become Denver’s HC. The Broncos fired him after two years, however. Joseph went 11-21 in Denver, starting the franchise’s run of sub-.500 seasons. Joseph, 49, has run the Cardinals’ defense since 2019. Following two relatively mediocre seasons, Arizona’s defense has turned it around in 2021, including them ranking seventh in passing yards allowed.
Moore inked a three-year extension with the Cowboys towards the close of the 2020 season, but he’s remained a hot name in coaching circles. The rival Eagles requested an interview with him in January of 2021 before ultimately going with Nick Sirianni.
Dolphins Request Interviews With Dan Quinn, Mike McDaniel
After surprisingly firing Brian Flores, the Dolphins continue to put in early work on his replacement. They sent interview requests to Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn and 49ers offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL.com (Twitter links).
Quinn has become a consistent presence early in the request process. The Broncos and Bears have requested permission to meet with the first-year Cowboys DC. The Jaguars also submitted a request to interview Quinn virtually, attempting to take advantage of the NFL’s new early window, but the ex-Falcons leader declined to do a virtual meeting during the regular season. Nevertheless, he is a popular name thus far.
The 49ers saw the Jets poach one of Kyle Shanahan‘s right-hand men on offense last year, when Mike LaFleur became Robert Saleh‘s OC. McDaniel has been a Shanahan staffer for years, following him from Atlanta to San Francisco. The first-year 49ers OC doubles as the team’s run-game coordinator. Despite Raheem Mostert going down in Week 1 and Elijah Mitchell missing time with multiple injuries, the 49ers finished as a top-10 rushing attack.
This marks McDaniel’s first HC connection this year, but the Dolphins were interested in him a year ago. Miami had the San Francisco assistant on its OC radar last year, but Flores opted to go with an Eric Studesville–George Godsey co-OC setup. The Quinn and McDaniel summons follow the Dolphins’ Brian Daboll request, one the team submitted hours after firing Flores.
Dolphins Request Permission To Interview Bills OC Brian Daboll
Brian Daboll is emerging as a popular name for head coaching vacancies. Following news that the Bears requested permission to interview the Bills OC, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reports (via Twitter) that the Dolphins also requested permission to interview Daboll.
[RELATED: Dolphins Fire HC Brian Flores]
The move would reunite Daboll with quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, who played under Daboll when the two were at Alabama. Since Daboll’s one-year stint as Alabama’s offensive coordinator, he’s served in the same role with the Bills. Following an inconsistent first season in the role, the Bills offense has been among the top-10(ish) units over the past three years. That includes a passing offense that ranked second in points scored in 2020 and third in points scored in 2021.
A Daboll hiring would also be a bit of a homecoming for the coach after he served as Miami’s offensive coordinator in 2011. Daboll has also served as OC with the Chiefs and Browns, and he’s worked on the coaching staffs for the Jets and Patriots.
While Daboll is a candidate, we know one person who will not be considered for the role. Many assumed that owner Stephen Ross, who is a major Michigan donor, would target Michigan HC Jim Harbaugh. However, following reports that the Dolphins wouldn’t be pursuing the veteran coach, Ross confirmed the news to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
“I’m not going to be the person to take Jim Harbaugh from the University of Michigan,” Ross said (Twitter link).
The Dolphins fired Brian Flores earlier today. The 40-year-old took over as the Fins’ HC in 2019, compiling an overall record of 24-25. A 10-6 finish last year was the cause of a great deal of optimism for the future for the team. However, Flores found himself on the hot seat following an early-season seven-game losing streak, but many pundits assumed he saved his job when the team turned things around and won seven-straight games. Ultimately, Flores was handed his walking papers.
Updated 2022 NFL Draft Order
The NFL’s first ever 17-game regular season is now over, and the 14-team playoff field is set. The end of the year also confirms, of course, the draft order for the top 18 picks, allowing the non-playoff clubs to begin planning for the offseason.
Despite their upset win on Sunday, the Jaguars will have the top selection for the second year in a row; this marks the fifth time a team has had back-to-back No. 1 picks, and the first since the Browns did in 2017-18.
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.
Here is the final draft order (for non-playoff teams) along with the current projected order for the 14 postseason clubs:
- 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*
- Miami Dolphins (via 49ers)*
- Las Vegas Raiders: 10-7*
- Arizona Cardinals: 11-6*
- Cincinnati Bengals: 10-7*
- Buffalo Bills: 11-6*
- Detroit Lions (via Rams)
- Dallas Cowboys: 12-5*
- Kansas City Chiefs: 12-5*
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 13-4*
- Tennessee Titans: 12-5*
- Green Bay Packers: 13-4*
* = Playoffs
Dolphins Fire HC Brian Flores
‘Black Monday’ has seen its first surprising move of the day. The Dolphins have fired Head Coach Brian Flores, reports ESPN’s Adam Schefter (via Twitter). 
Flores, 40, took over as the Fins’ HC in 2019, compiling an overall record of 24-25. A 10-6 finish last year was the cause of a great deal of optimism for the future for the team, as they just missed out on the playoffs and were set to hand over the quarterbacking reigns to 2020 first-round pick Tua Tagovailoa.
2021 was a completely different story, however. After winning in Week 1, the team suffered seven straight losses and was seen as arguably the biggest disappointment in the league, given all the optimism heading into the season. In the midst of that skid, it was reported that Flores was on the hot seat. The mounting losses, along with a perceived lack of flexibility made some believe Flores wasn’t the most approachable of coaches.
Not long after, though, the team turned things around and won seven straight to get to 8-8 on the campaign. While they ultimately fell short of the playoffs with a 9-8 record, the fact that a potential tailspin turned into another winning season had many feeling Flores would be safe. Instead, The Athletic’s Jeff Howe reports that Owner Stephen Ross met with Flores on Monday before making the decision to fire him. He adds that the latter “didn’t always agree on key team decisions” with General Manager Chris Greer, but also that “there’s a widespread feeling of shock within the team”.
The Team Tweeted out a statement in which Ross said, “after evaluating where we are as an organization and what we need going forward to improve, I determined that key dynamics of our football organization weren’t functioning at a level I want it to be and felt that this decision was in the best interest of the Miami Dolphins. I want to thank Brian for his hard work and wish him nothing but the best in the future”. Schefter adds that Greer is safe for the time being.
Miami joins Las Vegas, Jacksonville, Denver, Minnesota and Chicago as teams in need of a new head coach for 2022.
Waddle Sets Rookie Receptions Record
The 17-game NFL regular season sees another record fall. In the Dolphins’ first drive of today’s game against the Patriots, quarterback Tua Tagovailoa found his favorite target, receiver Jaylen Waddle, three times, pushing Waddle’s rookie-season total receptions to 102 and cementing that Waddle would end the day with an NFL record.
Waddle finished the game with 5 catches for only 27 yards, but those first three catches resulted in Waddle passing Anquan Boldin for most receptions in a single season for a rookie in NFL history. Boldin’s record of 101 receptions has stood since 2003. Waddle came into the game with 99 catches, so his 5 today make the new mark to beat 104.
Like most records this season, this will have a bit of an asterisk on it, since the record was reached in an 18-week season, as opposed to a 17-week season. While Waddle did technically catch more balls in the same amount of games as Boldin, Waddle did have the benefit of a week of rest outside the traditional bye week when he missed their Week 15 game against the Jets on the reserve/COVID-19 list.
Waddle was joined today by T.J. Watt who tied Michael Strahan’s record for most sacks in a single season with 22.5. While Watt also had the luxury of being able to miss a game and still play the same amount of games that Strahan did back in 2001, Watt actually accomplished his total while only appearing in 15 games this year. This is sure to be a continuing trend in the coming years as players are given an additional opportunity to pad their stats.
Field For AFC’s Top Seed Narrows
The Chiefs’ win tonight over the Broncos eliminated the razor-thin hopes that the Bengals and Patriots held for a first-round bye. With a Chiefs loss, the Bengals could have clinched the #1 Seed with a win over the Browns and a Titans loss to the Texans. The Patriots could have clinched with those three teams losing, a win over the Dolphins, and a Bills loss to the Jets. 
The Chiefs’ win ensures that they will finish with a top 2 seed, at the very least, with a chance to earn a first-round bye if the Titans lose tomorrow in Houston. Cincinnati, seeing the long odds required to get them a rest next week, had already made the decision to rest some of their starters this week in their regular season finale in Cleveland, despite the fact that seeding between them and the AFC East winner is still at play.
Tennessee is a 10.5-point favorite over the Texans, but the Titans are one of Houston’s four wins this year. Chaos could certainly ensue as we look to close out our first ever 18-week NFL regular season.
Minor NFL Transactions: 1/5/22
Here are Wednesday’s minor moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Designated for return: S James Wiggins
Atlanta Falcons
- Promoted: TE Parker Hesse
- Released: QB Matt Barkley
Carolina Panthers
- Signed off Steelers’ practice squad: DE Jacob Tuioti-Mariner
- Placed on IR: LT Cameron Erving, WR Terrace Marshall
Chicago Bears
- Placed on IR: TE Jesper Horsted
Cleveland Browns
- Signed off Dolphins’ practice squad: RB Dexter Williams
- Promoted: QB Nick Mullens
- Placed on IR: QB Baker Mayfield (story), LB Sione Takitaki
Dallas Cowboys
- Designated for return: TE Blake Jarwin
- Placed on IR: WR Michael Gallup (story)
Denver Broncos
- Placed on IR: QB Teddy Bridgewater, DB Kareem Jackson, G Dalton Risner
- Released: OLB Pita Taumoepenu
Green Bay Packers
- Designated for return: C Josh Myers
Las Vegas Raiders
- Released: LB Will Compton, LB Justin March-Lillard (story)
Los Angeles Rams
- Released: WR J.J. Koski
Miami Dolphins
- Designated for return: RB Patrick Laird
Minnesota Vikings
- Released: QB Kyle Sloter
New Orleans Saints
- Designated for return: TE Garrett Griffin
New York Giants
- Placed on IR: LB Elerson Smith
New York Jets
- Promoted: DE Jabari Zuniga
San Francisco 49ers
- Designated for return: CB Emmanuel Moseley, WR Mohamed Sanu, S Tavon Wilson
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Designated for return: G Aaron Stinnie
Tennessee Titans
- Signed off Seahawks’ practice squad: TE Ryan Izzo
- Designated for return: RB Derrick Henry (story)
- Released: DB Chris Jones, LB Joseph Jones
Updated 2022 NFL Draft Order
Eleven teams have punched their ticket to the playoffs with one week to go in the regular season. Meanwhile, the Colts, 49ers, Chargers, Saints, Raiders, Steelers, and (technically) Ravens all still have a shot. If you’re a fan of one of the other 14 teams, this list may be of equal interest to you. That is, if your team still owns their original first-round pick.
For non-playoff teams, the draft order will be 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.
As we look ahead to Week 18, here’s a look at the currently projected 2022 NFL Draft Order:
- Jacksonville Jaguars: 2-14
- Detroit Lions: 2-13-1
- Houston Texans: 4-12
- New York Jets: 4-12
- New York Giants: 4-12
- Carolina Panthers: 5-11
- New York Jets (via Seahawks)
- New York Giants (via Bears)
- Washington Football Team: 6-10
- Atlanta Falcons: 7-9
- Denver Broncos: 7-9
- Minnesota Vikings: 7-9
- Cleveland Browns: 7-9
- Philadelphia Eagles (via Dolphins)
- New Orleans Saints: 8-8
- Baltimore Ravens: 8-8
- Pittsburgh Steelers: 8-7-1
- Las Vegas Raiders: 9-7
- Philadelphia Eagles: 9-7*
- Los Angeles Chargers: 9-7*
- Philadelphia Eagles (via Colts)*
- Miami Dolphins (via 49ers)*
- New England Patriots*
- Arizona Cardinals: 10-5*
- Buffalo Bills: 10-6*
- Cincinnati Bengals: 10-6*
- Dallas Cowboys: 11-5*
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 12-4*
- Kansas City Chiefs: 11-5*
- Detroit Lions (via Rams): 12-4*
- Tennessee Titans: 11-5*
- Green Bay Packers: 13-3*
* = Playoffs
NFL COVID-19 List Updates: 1/3/22
Here are Monday’s activations from and placements on the reserve/COVID-19 lists:
Carolina Panthers
- Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: C Sam Tecklenburg, DE Darryl Johnson, C Matt Paradis
Chicago Bears
- Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: TE Jesper Horsted, LB Joel Iyiegbuniwe
Cincinnati Bengals
- Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: CB Darius Phillips (remains on IR), WR Auden Tate (remains on IR)
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: LB Jordan Evans
Denver Broncos
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: K Brandon McManus, P Sam Martin
Detroit Lions
- Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: DE Michael Brockers, WR Josh Reynolds, OT Halapoulivaati Vaitai, TE Brock Wright
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: LB Austin Bryant, T Taylor Decker, T Penei Sewell
- Placed on practice squad/COVID-19 list: RB Rodney Smith
Green Bay Packers
- Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: LB Chauncey Rivers
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: CB Jaire Alexander, OT Dennis Kelly, DB Darnell Savage, WR David Moore
Houston Texans
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: DB Justin Reid
Indianapolis Colts
- Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: LB Malik Jefferson
- Restored from practice squad/COVID-19 list: QB James Morgan, TE Eli Wolf
Kansas City Chiefs
- Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: OT Mike Remmers (remains on IR)
Las Vegas Raiders
- Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: LB Will Compton, LB Patrick Onwuasor
- Restored from practice squad/COVID-19 list: OG Lester Cotton, OG Jeremiah Poutasi
Los Angeles Chargers
- Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: DE Andrew Brown, LB Kenneth Murray
Los Angeles Rams
- Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: RB Raymond Calais (remains on IR)
Miami Dolphins
- Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: NT John Jenkins, WR Preston Williams
- Activated from practice squad/COVID-19 list: C Spencer Pulley, DT Durval Queiroz Neto
Minnesota Vikings
- Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: DE Patrick Jones II
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: DB Camryn Bynum, G Ezra Cleveland, T Christian Darrisaw, LB Eric Kendricks, T Brian O’Neill
New England Patriots
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: DB Myles Bryant
- Placed on practice squad/COVID-19 list: T William Sherman
New Orleans Saints
- Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: K Wil Lutz, OL Landon Young
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: DT Jalen Dalton (from IR)
New York Jets
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: DE Kyle Phillips
Philadelphia Eagles
- Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: CB Andre Chachere
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: LB Genard Avery, DT Fletcher Cox, DB Marcus Epps, G Nate Herbig, RB Jordan Howard, C Jason Kelce, DB Avonte Maddox, DB Rodney McLeod, RB Boston Scott, LB Alex Singleton, TE Jack Stoll
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Placed on practice squad/COVID-19 list: WR Damion Willis
San Francisco 49ers
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: RB Raheem Mostert (from IR), CB K’Waun Williams, DB Jimmie Ward
Seattle Seahawks
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: DE Alton Robinson
Tennessee Titans
- Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: WR Julio Jones, LB Jayon Brown, OT Kendall Lamm
- Restored from practice squad/COVID-19 list: CB Briean Boddy-Calhoun
- Placed on practice squad/COVID-19 list: OT Paul Adams
Washington Football Team
- Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: T Samuel Cosmi, CB Darryl Roberts
- Restored from practice squad/COVID-19 list: G Beau Benzschawel