The NFL Coaching Universe: Making Sense of the Madness in Miami and New York

By: Jason Sarney

Starting a new calendar year and a new coaching search in the middle of the NFL playoffs gives an entirely different view of the competitive landscape going on behind the scenes. As we've all seen this week, the NFL head coaching carousel is not only in full swing, but social media also has certain things spinning out of control.

Over the last 24 hours a few NFL coaching vacancies have been filled, including those in Denver and Chicago. The Broncos hired Packers offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett and the Bears inked Indianapolis Colts defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus.

Since the NFL season ended, and while several other NFL teams are deciding who their new head man will be, the Miami Dolphins seem to have a caravan of names rolling in and out of interviews via Zoom, in-person, or even potentially “house calls.”

As per a source extremely close to the team, I was told the following:

Miami QB coach, Charlie Frye, is out in Miami.

Per source.

— Jason Sarney (@Jason_Sarney) January 27, 2022

• As per a Tweet put out Thursday, Charlie Frye is OUT as QB coach in Miami, so there is a vacant office.
• While Los Angeles Rams Assistant HC/RB Coach, Thomas Brown and Vance Joseph were interviewed last week, Miami has decided on Brian Daboll as their favorite.
• In addition to these pieces of info, it was said the plan is for Daboll to bring his “QB coach” along with him.

I am told Brian Daboll WOULD bring QB Assistant Ken Dorsey IF he becomes Miami Head Coach home to South Florida.

— Jason Sarney (@Jason_Sarney) January 27, 2022

To preface, NFL assistant coaches can’t leave their contracted team and role unless the new HC comes and officially says they don’t want that coach, due to them having their own guy they want to hire. The coaches that were hired by the former HC cannot leave with that HC if they are still under contract. They can only leave if it’s for a promotion, or if the new HC lets them out to pursue that position.

So, to translate and correct my own gaffe – here goes:

Should Brian Daboll accept the rumored offer that the Dolphins have given him; it has been told to me that he would be bringing his own “quarterback coach."

Now we get to the titles:  The current Buffalo Bills QB coach is Shea Tierney, and THAT is the person who could be elevated to a new job IN Miami. I am NOT closing the book on Dorsey, who has an offensive coordinator promotion waiting in either Buffalo, Miami, or…here we go with another team….

The New York Giants are the epicenter of the next 72 hours of NFL coaching hires. They have major interest in two men…Brian Daboll, and ironically, Brian Flores. It seems that Daboll is in an excellent position of leverage, weighing his options between New York and Miami.

Rumors may lead people to believe that Brian Daboll may prefer New York, but the reason he hadn't been locked up yet is that New York may prefer Brian Flores. This can be a very dicey thing, because when it comes to employment and offers-in-waiting for acceptances are applied, time is always the enemy, for both sides.

New York could make things extremely easy by simply hiring Brian Flores; that would leave Brian Daboll as likely to accept the Miami Dolphins position, thus eliminating the round of interviews Miami has set up with their secondary targets. This brings me to Miami's backup plans, which include Thomas Brown and potentially other coaches that are still coaching in the NFL playoffs, such as San Francisco's Mike McDaniel and Kansas City's Eric Bienemy.

Simply put, every job search in every profession has a top candidate that a company or a team would prefer. If that person accepts the job, all other interviews are immediately cancelled. On the flip side, should their top candidate decide this is not the role for them, Miami has set themselves up in a terrific position to interview a slew of contingency plans. They seem to always have Plans A,B,C and D.

So, when we put all of this into a blender, mix it up and attempt to digest a smooth deliverance of some sort of prediction, here goes: In a hypothetical scenario much like playoff predicting a month ago, I will do my absolute best to put a bow on this here:
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 IF NYG Hires Brian Flores, I predict: Brian Daboll will accept the Miami Dolphins job

IF this occurs, Daboll will bring a QB assistant coach which could be in all likelihood, Tierney. Dorsey will in all likelihood be promoted to OC in Buffalo, unless enticed by Miami, and new potential HC, Daboll.

OR
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​IF NYG hires Brian Daboll, Brian Flores will go to HOUSTON and the Miami coaching search will continue with interviews next week, both 2nd and potentially new names, as their 1st choice, Brian Daboll, would be gone.

This is where we stand before lunch on Friday.