The Miami Dolphins have an offensive coordinator!
And they didn’t stray very far from home to find one, either. Reports on Saturday evening indicated that the Dolphins were promoting offensive assistant Bobby Slowik to offensive coordinator, making him the first coach off of Mike McDaniel’s staff to formally secure a spot on new head coach Jeff Hafley‘s collection of coaches. Slowik was once considered a young star coordinator for the effort he had with Houston Texans quarterback CJ Stroud as a rookie.
After a regression in 2024, Slowik was let go and joined the Dolphins’ staff as a senior passing game coordinator. The Dolphins’ passing game didn’t leap off the screen in 2025 but it’s nearly impossible to filter assignment of blame between Slowik, QB coach Darrell Bevell, OC Frank Smith, former head coach Mike McDaniel, and quarterback Tua Tagovailoa’s regression.
Who could some of the early winners and losers for Coach Hafley’s decision to promote Slowik?
Potential winners & losers from Coach Hafley’s decision to promote Bobby Slowik
Miami Dolphins offensive linenam Aaron Brewer (55) during the game against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field.© Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images
(© Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images)WINNER: Center Aaron Brewer
Everyone was worried about what Aaron Brewer’s future in Miami would look like after his breakout under McDaniel. Well, we’ve not gotten a vote of confidence from new general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan, who called Brewer a building block of the roster, and now Hafley is keeping Slowik on staff. There will be changes to the offense, but the root family of the scheme is off the same tree as what Miami has run the last two seasons. That means Brewer’s weaponized athleticism and range as a blocker should get similar opportunities to shine in 2026.
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Dec 15, 2025; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa (1) warm ups prior to the game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Acrisure Stadium. Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
(Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images)
It’s very difficult to compartmentalize what role Slowik did and didn’t have in the new version of the offense from 2025. It is not difficult to see that it didn’t work. Tagovailoa, in a cruel twist, put together the second healthy season of his NFL career in 2025 but still missed the final three games due to benching. And he did not play well in Slowik’s one season in Miami.
Tagovailoa has voiced an interest in a fresh start. If he was going to get one in Miami, keeping assistants from last year’s offensive staff amid a head coaching change doesn’t feel like the best way to get it.
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Nov 2, 2023; Frankfurt, Germany; Miami Dolphins offensive tackle Kendall Lamm (70) wears a Guardian helmet cap during practice at the PSD Bank Arena. Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
(Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports)WINNER: Offensive line coach Butch Barry?
We don’t know Butch Barry’s fate yet. But what we do know is that Barry and Slowik go back. WAY BACK. All the way back to 2006 at Michigan Tech — where Barry was the offensive coordinator for Slowik’s last two seasons as a player. Slowik will help the Dolphins to run an offensive scheme with similar roots as what Miami did under Mike McDaniel. He knows these players, and so does Barry — he’s got up to three years of time on task with Miami’s linemen. Barry did great work with Brewer and left tackle Patrick Paul and helped to get the best out of tackle Austin Jackson, too. Slowik keeping the scheme family in place would presumably boost Barry’s case to stay.
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Sep 29, 2025; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Miami Dolphins wide receiver Nick Westbrook-Ikhine (18) makes a catch against New York Jets safety Isaiah Oliver (26) during the second half at Hard Rock Stadium. Rich Storry-Imagn Images
(Rich Storry-Imagn Images)LOSER: Wide receiver Nick Westbrook-Ikhine
This turned out to be quite the “square peg, round hole” scenario in 2025. Westbrook-Ikhine was brought in to be a physical blocker and secondary counter-punch in the passing game. He finished the year with 11 receptions for 81 yards. They were lower numbers across the board than we’ve seen from Westbrook-Ikhine since his rookie season in 2020. And now, with Westbrook-Ikhine looming as a potential salary cap casualty, he’ll get no reprieve in the way of a new offensive system in Miami. I would guess this pushes him closer to being a roster cut this offseason.
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Dec 17, 2022; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Miami Dolphins full back Alec Ingold (30) runs with the ball against the Buffalo Bills during the second half at Highmark Stadium.
WINNER: Fullback Alec Ingold
While Westbrook-Ikhine now looks like a potential roster cut with the move to promote Slowik, this feels like good news for highly regarded fullback Alec Ingold. Ingold carries a $5M salary cap charge in 2026 and, depending on the offensive vision, Ingold could have been deemed redundant or no longer worth the combination of high cap charge and a roster spot to play fullback.
Now? Ingold gets some peace of mind knowing that the fullback isn’t necessarily on the way out in Miami. Fullback Andrew Beck played nearly 350 snaps for Slowik in Houston in 2023 during his first season as the offensive coordinator with the Texans. Ingold isn’t out of the woods yet — but knowing that Hafley wants to get under center and run the ball, plus Slowik’s experience with a fullback, bodes well.
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Other winners from Miami’s hire of Bobby Slowik as offensive coordinator
TE Greg Dulcich*
*Scheduled for free agency in March
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This story was originally published by A to Z Sports on Jan 25, 2026, where it first appeared in the NFL section. Add A to Z Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.