Dolphins Unlikely To Be Active In Free Agency
The Dolphins are not expected to pursue top-end free agents when the market opens in March, sources tell Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald.
That strategy would represent a shift under new general manager Chris Grier, who last month was promoted to replace Mike Tannenbaum as Miami’s top personnel decision-maker. Dolphins owner Stephen Ross has historically been open to adding expensive free agents, but deals for players such as Ndamukong Suh, Lawrence Timmons, and others didn’t help Miami get any closer to championship contention. With Grier and presumptive head coach Brian Flores now leading the club, the Dolphins seem to be planning for a different approach.
Indeed, Miami intends to “lose enough” to receive a high pick in the 2020 draft, reports Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. Adding free agents that would help the Dolphins win in 2019 won’t fit with the club’s long-term outlook, so Miami isn’t likely to be in contention for quarterback Nick Foles or Patriots defensive end Trey Flowers, who could be linked to the Dolphins given his relationship with Flores.
Currently, the Dolphins project to have the NFL’s sixth-least amount of 2019 cap space with roughly $13.5MM in available funds. However, Miami could grow that figure to more than $56MM simply by cutting quarterback Ryan Tannehill, wide receiver DeVante Parker, and defensive ends Robert Quinn and Andre Branch. The latter three moves are considered all but certain, while Tannehill could potentially be a trade candidate.
Meanwhile, star cornerback Xavien Howard — who is entering the final year of his rookie deal — said he hasn’t had any extension talks with the Dolphins, according to Cameron Wolfe of ESPN.com. Jackson reported last month that Howard was expected to command at least $15MM annually on his next contract, but it’s unclear if Miami is willing to go that high.
Flores, Rizzi Agreed To Part Ways
- Former Dolphins DC Matt Burke will land on the Eagles‘ staff, according to ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter). Burke succeeded Vance Joseph as Miami’s DC and held the job for two seasons, both of which ending with the Fins being among the worst at preventing points.
- The five teams that coveted former Dolphins special teams coach Darren Rizzi — the Bills, Jets, Lions, Packers and Vikings — are no longer in the running for Rizzi, Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald tweets. But two other teams are interested. Rizzi and incoming Dolphins HC Brian Flores met recently and decided to part ways, per Salguero (on Twitter).
- Former Dolphins DC Matt Burke will land on the Eagles‘ staff, according to ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter). Burke succeeded Vance Joseph as Miami’s DC and held the job for two seasons, both of which ending with the Fins being among the worst at preventing points.
Dolphins To Hire 4 Assistants, Part Ways With Darren Rizzi
One of the other candidates for the position Brian Flores will soon take, Darren Rizzi‘s near-decade-long stay with the Dolphins will come to an end.
The Dolphins will not retain their longtime special teams coordinator, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald reports. Miami will instead hire former Buffalo ST coordinator Danny Crossman to take over in that role, per ESPN.com’s Field Yates (on Twitter).
Additionally, former Texans OC (and 2018 Lions quarterbacks coach) George Godsey will be the Dolphins’ new tight ends coach, and former Fins wideouts coach Karl Dorrell will be back for a second stay in this job, Yates adds. Pat Flaherty will join the staff as offensive line coach, Alex Marvez of Sirius XM reports (on Twitter).
Flores wanted to move in another direction for his new team’s ST coach, per Jackson, who adds Rizzi also did not want to come back after being bypassed for the HC post. Rizzi, who has received significant interest on the market this offseason, may have a new gig soon. He is in advanced stages of negotiations with another team, Jackson notes.
While Flores’ arrival will mean most of Miami’s assistants will be new hires, running backs coach Eric Studesville will be back, per Marvez (on Twitter). So will defensive backs coach Tony Oden, Jackson adds.
In the event of a Rizzi exit, the Dolphins placed Crossman on their radar weeks ago, Marvez tweets. The Bills fired him after a six-year tenure as their ST coordinator. The Dolphins have been Rizzi’s only NFL employer, hiring him in 2010 and promoting him to ST boss a year later. Miami led the NFL with 11 punts blocked in that span.
Matt Patricia‘s continued overhaul of the Lions’ staff meant more Jim Caldwell-era holdovers were out. Godsey stayed on during Patricia’s first season, moving to quarterbacks coach in 2018. Flaherty had worked with Tom Coughlin in 14 of the past 15 years, mentoring the Giants’ O-line for 12 seasons and spending the past two slates working with the Jaguars’ blockers.
Dorrell was Miami’s receivers coach from 2008-10. Conversely to how things have been moving this offseason, with Adam Gase and Dowell Loggains going from the Dolphins to the Jets, Dorrell will head from the Big Apple to south Florida. He coached New York’s wideouts during each of Todd Bowles‘ four seasons. The Packers interviewed Dorrell for their WRs job, which remains vacant.
Dolphins To Add Two Assistants
Brian Flores‘ Dolphins staff continues to fill out. The Miami-bound Patriots assistant plans to hire Jaguars defensive line coach Marion Hobby and Giants outside linebackers coach Rob Leonard, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Hobby’s past two NFL seasons in Jacksonville came after a decade at the college level, with the 52-year-old assistant’s previous coaching work coming at the college level. He was Clemson’s co-defensive coordinator and defensive ends coach for six seasons, coaching Vic Beasley, Shaq Lawson and Andre Branch in that time. Hobby was also the Saints’ defensive ends coach during Sean Payton‘s first two seasons. Leonard spent the past six seasons with the Giants, working with three head coaches. This was his lone coaching post at the NFL or college level. He worked with new Miami DC Patrick Graham for two of those years.
Poll: Where Will Nick Foles Land?
The Eagles’ loss to the Saints in the divisional round started a countdown clock to what appears to be an inevitable divorce between the team and Nick Foles. The team still views Carson Wentz as its quarterback of the future, which means Foles will very likely be suiting up somewhere other than Philadelphia next season. Foles can pay a $2MM fee to essentially buy his free agency, but the team could then still franchise tag him and attempt to trade him. Whether it’s through free agency or in a trade, today we’ll be taking a look at his most likely destinations:
The Jaguars are widely seen as being a competent quarterback away from being a contender, and might be the most likely team to pursue a veteran quarterback this offseason. The team made it all the way to the AFC Championship Game last year, but regressed heavily in 2018 and finished the season 5-11. Jacksonville is looking to make the most out of the window that it has with their elite defense, and is a natural contender for Foles.
The team appears set to move on from Blake Bortles and Cody Kessler, and could have an entirely new quarterback room in 2019. If Foles were to be traded the Eagles would likely see the Jaguars as an appealing option, as they’re in a different conference and won’t play each other for another four years. On the other hand, the Jags’ cap situation isn’t the best, and they’d need to shed some salary to be able to offer what Foles is likely to be seeking. The Jaguars have the seventh overall pick in this year’s draft, and could use that to select a quarterback like Dwayne Haskins instead of pursuing a veteran.
Another AFC team that could be interested is the Dolphins. The team isn’t going to be bringing back Ryan Tannehill, and Foles could be a nice option as a bridge quarterback. Tannehill hasn’t been able to stay healthy the past few seasons, and this year wasn’t any exception as he missed five games with a shoulder injury. The team is looking to get younger, and they might want a capable veteran signal caller to help them transition.
With Tannehill’s salary off the books they’ll have plenty of money to offer him a deal, and Miami doesn’t have many other options for a starter next year. On the other hand, the Dolphins have signaled that they plan on going all in on tanking 2019, so they might not be interested in winning too many games with Foles. If the plan is to lose as many games as possible, it wouldn’t make much sense for them to give up draft assets for Foles if the Eagles do end up tagging him.
The Broncos already have a Foles-esque placeholder in Case Keenum, but there’s been some chatter that they might want to move on from Keenum this offseason. Denver could get out of Keenum’s contract fairly easily, and he has no ties to the new coaching staff led by Vic Fangio. If Fangio and his new offensive coordinator Rich Scangarello decide they don’t love Keenum, they could ask Broncos GM John Elway to look elsewhere.
Elway has aggressively pursued veteran quarterbacks in free agency in the past, most notably Peyton Manning a handful of years ago and Keenum last offseason, so it wouldn’t be surprising if he’s interested in Foles. Denver doesn’t appear to be rebuilding and thinks it has the pieces to win with the right quarterback, and Foles could be what they’re looking for.
A slightly more out of the box possibility is the Redskins. The Eagles would surely prefer he didn’t go to their division rival, but if they don’t tag him they might not have any say. It was reported earlier today that Washington was expecting Alex Smith to miss the entire 2019 season, so the Redskins will very likely be in the market for a quarterback.
The Redskins know him well, and Foles beat them easily in Week 17 this year. While the Eagles might do all they can to prevent it, this would certainly be the most entertaining scenario of all. Foles playing Wentz twice a year would be great, and it would be surprising if the Redskins don’t at least look into it.
So, what do you think? Where will Foles end up next season as he looks to continue his magic? Vote in PFR’s latest poll (link for app users) and weigh in with your thoughts in the comments section!
Where Will Nick Foles End Up Next Season
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Jacksonville Jaguars 47% (1,842)
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Denver Broncos 18% (719)
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Washington Redskins 18% (702)
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Miami Dolphins 16% (629)
Total votes: 3,892
Dolphins Likely To Hire Pats’ Chad O’Shea
The Dolphins are set to hire Brian Flores as their next head coach and Flores is bringing some friends with him to South Beach. The ‘Fins are expected to hire Patriots wide receivers coach Chad O’Shea as their new offensive coordinator, according to Omar Kelly of the Sun Sentinel.
Flores can’t be formally hired until after the Super Bowl, but his staff is already taking shape. He’s reportedly tapped former Colts and Lions coach Jim Caldwell as his assistant HC and former Packers linebackers coach Patrick Graham will be his defensive coordinator.
Flores and O’Shea have been working together since 2009 and, as Kelly notes, O’Shea is regarded as an up-and-coming offensive mind. Last year, O’Shea was believed to be a top OC candidate for Josh McDaniels‘ staff in Indianapolis, but he stayed in New England when McDaniels elected to do the same.
Last year, McDaniels was effusive in his praise of O’Shea.
“Chad’s unbelievable,” McDaniels told Mark Daniels of the Milford Daily News. “He’s incredibly responsible for any and all of our success in the red zone. He does a lot of that work and prepares us well for that situation in the game.“
Xavien Howard's Agent Suspended
- NFL agent Damarius Bilbo was suspended for three months and fined $12,500 for violations of the NFLPA’s Regulations Governing Contract Advisors, as Darren Heitner tweets. Bilbo’s clients include Browns wide receiver Jarvis Landry, Saints running back Alvin Kamara, Chargers running back Melvin Gordon, and Dolphins cornerback Xavien Howard. Howard, notably, is entering the final year of his rookie deal and scheduled to hit free agency after the 2019 season, but Bilbo won’t be able to negotiate on his behalf for the time being. Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald looked at Howard’s case for an extension earlier today.
Dolphins, Brian Flores To Meet Again
Patriots assistant Brian Flores will have his second interview with the Dolphins on Wednesday night, a league source tells Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald (on Twitter). The interview, in all likelihood, will be a discussion about the future rather than a true interview. Flores has already been tapped as the team’s next head coach, but the hire cannot be formally made until after the Super Bowl. 
[Poll: Which Team Made Best Head Coaching Hire?]
In 2018, the Patriots ranked 21st in yards allowed but seventh in scoring. The Pats have only had one non-top-10 scoring defense in the past 13 seasons and Flores has been a part of their past eight defensive coaching staffs. After moving on from the offensively-minded Adam Gase, the Dolphins believe that Flores will help restore order on the other side of the ball.
Speaking of defense, the Dolphins are reportedly set to hire longtime Flores friend Patrick Graham as their new DC.
Jets To Hire Dowell Loggains As OC
The Dolphins have granted permission for offensive coordinator Dowell Loggains to speak with other teams and won’t stop him from leaving the organization, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. With that roadblock out of the way, he is expected to become the Jets’ offensive coordinator under new head coach Adam Gase. 
Loggains worked under Gase both in Chicago and Miami, so it’s no surprise to hear that he’ll be joining Gase in New York. Still, Gase is expected to be the offensive play-caller for the Jets.
Loggains, 38, also coordinated the offense for the Titans, but he’s never led an offense which ranked better than 19th in scoring. His 2016 Bears offense ranked 15th in yardage, but no other unit under his command has finished better than 22nd in that metric.
Still, the longtime assistant is well-respected around the league and the Dolphins even interviewed him for their head coaching vacancy this offseason. At one point, it seemed like the Dolphins might try to keep him as an assistant, but new Fins HC Brian Flores probably has a different lieutenant in mind.
Poll: Which Team Made Best HC Hire?
With the NFL now in the two-week waiting period until its final meaningful game, 30 of the 32 teams are going through offseason motions. And some of those teams are still deciding on coordinators.
Unless another Patriots assistant reneges on an agreement post-Super Bowl, or Zac Taylor makes an 11th-hour decision to remain in Los Angeles rather than taking over in Cincinnati, the eight NFL teams in need of head coaches made their choices.
So, which franchise best positioned itself for long-term success?
The trend being offensive innovation to keep up with some of the ahead-of-the-curve offenses, six of the eight teams hired offensively oriented coaches.
By a substantial margin, the Cardinals won the outside-the-box trophy. After washing out as an NFL quarterback in the mid-2000s, Kliff Kingsbury spent more than a decade as a college coach. The 39-year-old groomed some sought-after NFL talent in Patrick Mahomes, Case Keenum and Davis Webb, while also bringing Baker Mayfield to Texas Tech for a short stay. But he finished his stay in Lubbock, Texas, with a sub-.500 record. The Cards added Vance Joseph and Tom Clements to be his top assistants. Because of their unconventional hire, the Cardinals will be one of the most interesting teams in 2019.
Bruce Arians‘ CBS stay lasting one year will bring one of the more interesting coaches in modern NFL history back to the sideline. Tampa Bay’s new coach is the oldest ever hired, at 66 years old. Arians will be tethered to Jameis Winston, and it does not sound like he has issues with that. Arians hired several former Cardinals assistants to help him attempt to snap the NFC’s longest active playoff drought. Arians led the Cardinals to their best season, record-wise (13-3 in 2015), since the franchise has been in Arizona but is also barely a year removed from retiring.
The Packers and Browns opted for OCs, the former seeing a major difference in Matt LaFleur‘s vision than those of the other coaches that interviewed. Cleveland made the biggest continuity move of this year’s HC-seeking octet,promoting Freddie Kitchens over candidates with more experience.
LaFleur’s Titans offense regressed from Mike Mularkey‘s final unit, with Tennessee ranking 27th in points scored last season. But the 39-year-old coach, who will be working with ex-Jaguars assistant Nathaniel Hackett in overseeing the back end of Aaron Rodgers‘ prime, trained under Sean McVay and Kyle Shanahan. Kitchens rose from position coach to head coach in less than three months, but Mayfield’s performance in the second half of the season was obviously different from his play under Hue Jackson and Todd Haley.
Taylor and Adam Gase round out the offensively geared hires, the former being perhaps the highest-variance candidate among the non-Kingsbury wing.
Although Taylor was the Dolphins’ interim OC in 2015 and McVay’s quarterbacks coach this season, he spent 2016 running a Cincinnati Bearcats offense that ranked 123rd (out of 128 Division I-FBS teams) with 19.3 points per game for a 4-8 team and was the Rams’ assistant wideouts coach as recently as 2017. Gase led the Dolphins to the playoffs in 2016, but Ryan Tannehill‘s issues staying healthy and living up to his draft slot limited the former Broncos and Bears OC. The Jets saw enough to add the formerly in-demand assistant, who may be ready to bring longtime coworker Dowell Loggains with him to the Big Apple.
Denver and Miami went with defense, with the Broncos having no competition for 2018’s assistant coach of the year and, arguably, this decade’s top DC.
The Dolphins cancelled their Vic Fangio summit, and he will be in charge of elevating a Broncos team that finished with back-to-back losing seasons for the first time since the early 1970s. John Elway‘s plan to reinstall Gary Kubiak as OC also hit a snag, with the longtime friends’ disagreement on staffing leading to the Broncos hiring 49ers QBs coach Rich Scangarello. The Dolphins will become the fifth franchise to hire a Bill Belichick-era Patriots defensive coordinator (or de facto DC, in Brian Flores‘ case), following the Browns (Romeo Crennel and Eric Mangini), Jets (Mangini), Chiefs (Crennel) and Lions (Matt Patricia). Flores helped the Patriots to yet another top-10 ranking in points allowed — their 15th in the past 18 seasons — and another Super Bowl berth.
Vote in PFR’s latest poll and weigh in with your thoughts in the comments section!
Which team made the best HC hire?
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Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Bruce Arians 26% (1,934)
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Cleveland Browns, Freddie Kitchens 20% (1,491)
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Denver Broncos, Vic Fangio 16% (1,192)
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Green Bay Packers, Matt LaFleur 15% (1,097)
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New York Jets, Adam Gase 7% (546)
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Miami Dolphins, Brian Flores 6% (465)
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Arizona Cardinals, Kliff Kingsbury 6% (447)
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Cincinnati Bengals, Zac Taylor 4% (282)
Total votes: 7,454