Miami Dolphins Head Coaching Update: Pros and Cons of Each Candidate

The Miami Dolphins are once again looking for a new head coach. The last time the Dolphins hired a coach with previous experience as a head coach in the NFL was Dave Wanndstedt in 2000. Will the Dolphins finally bring in a coach with head coaching experience, or will they go back to the coordinator well?

(Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images)

PROS: He has taken a team to a Super Bowl (insert 28-3 joke here), even though he didn't win it. The last time the Dolphins played for the Lombardi Trophy was 1985! Bringing stability and a guy who knows what it takes to be a head coach in the NFL has to count for something. He has shown an ability to hire great football minds as his offensive coordinators- see Mike Shanahan.

CONS: The defense has not been the problem in Miami. Bringing in a defensive minded head coach could result in more of the same fins fans are accustomed to; elite defense with a broken offense. The next coach's main task is improving the offense and proving Tua (or whoever else is taking snaps next season) is the answer at QB for the next decade.

PROS: This is the type of hire that can set your franchise up for a decade. The Rams have it with Sean McVay and the 49ers have it with Kyle Shanahan. Pair a young offensive mind with a young accurate quarterback, and the Bills could have serious competition in the division for the Josh Allen era.

CONS: Sean McVay and Kyle Shanahan are not easy to find. For each one of those guys, there is an Adam Gase, Matt Nagy, Jason Garrett, and Hugh Jackson to point to. Moore also had a total package in Dallas- franchise QB, elite RBs and WR's, and when healthy one of the best lines in the league. Miami is missing the OL and RB's that the Cowboys have, and the WR's (outside of Waddle) are questionable too.

Apparently a guys who has called plays for Nick Saban and one of the best offenses in the NFL doesn't have an approved image by Getty Images- that needs to be fixed. If you want to see what he looks like just click here

PROS: Coaching pedigree doesn't get better than Brian Daboll's; he is of the Bill Belichick and Nick Saban coaching tree. That's pretty solid. Then you look at what he has been able to accomplish with Josh Allen in Buffalo AND he has worked with Tua while they were in Tuscaloosa together. There is plenty of competition for Daboll this offseason, so having him chose Miami over the Giants and Bears would show he wants to work with Tua again, not Justin Fields and whoever will be under center for the Giants next season.

CONS: Although the Daboll and Tua worked together with Alabama, there is a clear difference in Tua on Saturday's vs. Tua on Sunday's. The offense that's run in Buffalo would absolutely have to be modified to fit Tua's skill set (short, quick, accurate passes that gets the ball out of Tua's hands) with josh Allen's skills (tall, strong, big arm, very athletic).

(Photo by Adam Bettcher /Getty Images)

Pros: He has been a head coach. Although his time in Minnesota wasn't a huge success with Super Bowl appearances or deep playoff runs (Minnesota had less that 6 wins 2 of his 3 seasons), his time in Buffalo has been sneaky good: they've ranked in the top-half of the league in scoring in 4 of his 5 seasons, and his Bills defense just allowed the fewest points of any defense this season.

CONS: I guess I should have saved the head coaching record for this section. Including 6 games as interim head coach in 2010, his record was 21-32-1. The con for every defensive minded head coach on this list is two fold: A) developing Tua, and B) fixing an offense that has been bottom half of the league for 7 consecutive season in yards per game.

PROS: He's not as young as he looks here- this picture is from 2008. Much like anyone who coached with Sean McVay is an intriguing prospect, Kyle Shanahan can turn a career into gold. Shanahan has coached his team to their 2nd NFC Championship Game in the last 3 seasons. Coaching trees matter, and the Kyle Shanahan tree is barring fruit with Selah in New York and now McDaniel being tied to multiple jobs, although his link to Miami is the strongest.

CONS: When you work with an offensive genius like Kyle Shanahan, how much is he coming up with and how much is McDaniel coming up with. McDaniel doesn't even call the plays in San Francisco. He has also been workign with rookie Trey Lance this season and from what we've seen of him in limited appearances this season, his track record developing young QB's isn't beyond question.

PROS: Vance knows what it's like to be a coach in Miami- he was the team's Defensive Coordinator in 2016. He was so impressive that season the Denver Broncos hired him as head coach. Arizona's defense was bottom of the league in his first season before turning that side of the ball around resulting in the NFL's 12th best scoring defense.

CONS: The record doesn't look great as a head coach; 11-21 in 2 seasons with Denver. Once again, defense is not the side of the ball that is broken in Miami. Can he fix the offense? While in Denver his offenses ranked 26th and 24th in the league.

PROS: Sean McVay coaching tree. People laughed at Cincinnati when they hired the Rams Quarterback Coach- Zac Taylor. Turns out some of that McVay magic rubbed off on him as his Bengals are in the AFC Championship Game. Brown has touched the "golden child" so maybe it rubbed off on him as well.

CONS: It's a big jump to go from coaching the running backs to an entire team. He has only been in the NFL since 2020.

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