The Miami Dolphins seem to be keeping their hiring process fairly simple..and fairly familiar. With their new defensive coordinator hire, not only is it another coach from the Packers, but someone highly familiar with new head coach Jeff Hafley.
Hafley recently dubbed former Packers linebackers coach Sean Duggan to be the new defensive coordinator for Miami. The two had previously worked together in Green Bay, where Duggan was the assistant head coach. However, their connection goes much further back than just the NFL ranks.
A Longstanding Connection Between Hafley and Duggan
One season at Ohio State in 2019 saw Duggan as a graduate assistant and Hafely as the co-defensive coordinator. They both even have ties to Boston College as well, as Duggan was a four year letterman and team captain for the BC Eagles. Duggan is also only 32 years of age and will turn 33 just as the Dolphins’ offseason program will begin.
While Hafley recently announced that he will ultimately be calling the plays for the defense, Duggan will be a huge part of what could be a defensive turnaround. The Dolphins have somewhat built up a bad reputation over the years, going soft on that side of the football. During the 2025 season, they finished in the bottom third of the NFL in both points and yards allowed. There were also one of only ten teams with single digit interceptions.
Luckily, Duggan has worked with all kinds of talent in Green Bay, especially at the linebacker position.
During his time in Green Bay, Duggan was able to tutor one of the NFL’s best linebacking talents in Edgerrin Cooper. In 2024, Cooper earned PWHA All-Rookie Honors during a season which saw him record 75 plus tackles, 13 plus tackles for loss, three plus sacks, an interception, a forced fumble, and fumble recovery. He was the only player to achieve that feat that year.
Duggan will now get to work with perhaps the NFL’s best linebacker in Jordyn Brooks, who had a breakout campaign that saw him lead the NFL in solo tackles and make his first ever All-Pro team.
Duggan now replaces the oft-maligned Anthony Weaver, who after being fired, struggled to find a new job amidst the coaching carousel. Some rumors have swirled that the Dolphins were willing to wait until Weaver had found a new job, but with the Duggan hire, it seems that the team and Weaver will have a bitter break up.
Can Familiarity Fix Miami’s Defensive Identity?
Still, Duggan continues a worrying trend for the Dolphins, as he now becomes their sixth defensive coordinator in nine years, following the likes of Patrick Graham, Josh Boyer, Vic Fangio, and Weaver.
How Duggan will be judged could come down to how he builds his defensive scheme around Hafley’s philosophies. By hiring someone familiar with his scheme, Hafley has set forth a path that can be sustained for many years and hopefully turn around the fortunes of a defense that has been dormant for the past several seasons.
With another familiar hiring, the Dolphins have yet again shown a clear intent to build a foundation from within.
Christopher Sheppard Christopher Sheppard is a passionate and knowledgeable sports journalist based in Englewood, NJ pursuing a role in the sports media industry. He covers the NFL for Heavy Sports, focusing on the Dolphins, Chargers, and Buccanneers. More about Christopher Sheppard
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