Dolphins, Jaguars Interested In Dom Capers
Two former Dom Capers employers are interested in bringing the veteran defensive-minded coach back to Florida.
The Dolphins and Jaguars view Capers as a candidate to join their respective staffs as a senior defensive assistant, according to Alex Marvez of Sirius XM Radio (on Twitter).
These AFC teams join the Bengals in pursuing the longtime Packers defensive coordinator and two-time expansion team head coach (in each of the Panthers’ and Texans’ first four seasons). Capers, 68, served as the Jaguars’ defensive coordinator in the two years following his Panthers tenure, 1999-2000. From 2006-07, Capers was part of Miami’s staff.
After the Packers ended Capers’ nine-year tenure as their DC, he did not coach in 2018. He was connected to the Cardinals’ DC search, however.
Miami appointed Patrick Graham to be its DC, but GM Chris Grier said Monday his first-time coordinators — Graham and likely OC Chad O’Shea — will have veteran presences on staff as well. Jim Caldwell is signed on to coach on Brian Flores‘ staff, and Capers would have interest in coming aboard, per Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald, unless he can land a DC job. The Bengals are the only team in this trio with a vacant DC position.
Promoting two position coaches, the Jags have rearranged their defensive staff to some degree this offseason. Capers coming to north Florida would pair him with incumbent DC Todd Wash.
Dolphins, Brian Flores Finalize Deal
The Dolphins have their new head coach. After the Super Bowl, Brian Flores‘ agent finalized terms on a contract to make the Patriots’ defensive guru the new head coach in Miami (Twitter link via Ian Rapoport of NFL.com). 
Terms of the deal are not yet known, but the industry standard is a four-year deal with a fifth-year team option, so that’s likely the structure of Flores’ pact. At 4pm ET/3pm CT on Monday, the Dolphins will introduce their new coach to the public.
The Dolphins agreed to hire Flores nearly a month ago, but league rules prohibit teams from hiring coaches who are still active with their clubs during the playoffs. Last year, the Colts were burned by a gentleman’s agreement with offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, but the Dolphins were comfortable enough with Flores to move forward without a signed deal.
Flores did not hold the title of defensive coordinator in New England last year, but he was the de facto DC and got results out of a unit that was undermanned, particularly up front. The D was up and down throughout the year, but things came together later in the year and Flores’ pass rush stepped up on Sunday to stifle the Rams en route to the Pats’ sixth Super Bowl win in franchise history.
The Dolphins’ defense is much more of a fixer-upper, but owner Stephen Ross, GM Chris Grier, and the rest of the Fins front office has confidence in Flores. He’ll take over for offensive guru Adam Gase, who was hired as the Jets’ new head coach in January.
Latest On Brian Flores, Dolphins
Once the Super Bowl ends, the Dolphins are planning on announcing Brian Flores as their new head coach. Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald reports that the Patriots linebackers coach will fly to Miami on Monday morning (on owner Stephen Ross‘s private jet, no less), and the two sides will then presumably finalize a contract and announce the hiring (via ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Twitter).
As Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com points out, this is especially notable following last year’s fiasco between Josh McDaniels and the Colts. Following the Patriots’ Super Bowl loss to the Eagles, McDaniels visited New England’s team facility, and it was subsequently reported that the offensive coordinator would instead by sticking in New England.
Naturally, the Dolphins don’t want to find themselves in a similar scenario, and Florio suggests that Miami would be wise to assure that Flores doesn’t even get on the Patriots plane back to Massachusetts. Of course, nothing has suggested that Flores will renege on his presumed deal, but you also can’t blame the Dolphins organization for being a bit wary.
Flores has seen some success in New England, and he most recently served as the team’s de facto defensive coordinator (although he didn’t hold that official title). The Patriots ranked 21st in yards allowed but seventh in scoring this past season, and they’ve only had one non-top-10 scoring defense in the past 13 seasons (Flores has been with the organization for eight of those campaigns). As our own Zach Links pointed out, the Dolphins are hoping Flores will restore order on the defensive side of the ball after having moved on from the offensively-minded Adam Gase.
Grier Hired Flores, Not Ross
While Dolphins owner Stephen Ross has played a large role in hiring Miami’s coaches in the past, that wasn’t the case this time around. Ross identified and hired Adam Gase on his own, but had nothing to do with bringing in new coach-in-waiting Brian Flores, sources told Armando Salguero of The Miami Herald. Instead, it was new GM Chris Grier who is solely responsible for hiring Flores, Salguero writes.
Salguero writes that Grier and Flores are longtime friends, and that now ex-Dolphins coaches told him it was “no secret within the organization that Grier was focused on Flores as the favorite to be Miami’s new coach even before interviews began.” Flores, the current Patriots’ defensive play-caller, and Grier both started as scouts in their respective organizations and Salguero writes that their paths crossed frequently, sparking a friendship. Miami is reportedly all-in on tanking in the 2019 season, and it’ll be very interesting to see how Flores fares.
NFL Reserve/Futures Contracts: 2/1/19
Today’s reserve/futures contracts will be posted here:
Miami Dolphins
- CB Dee Delaney
Delaney was a rookie undrafted free agent this past year who first signed with the Jaguars. He bounced between Jacksonville’s practice squad and active roster, before he was ultimately cut and scooped up by the Dolphins, who stashed him on their practice squad. Delaney played his college ball at Miami, so it makes sense why two of the Florida NFL teams were interested.
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