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The Dolphins lost their quarterbacks coach
After the season, the Miami Dolphins hired former Packers defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley to be their new head coach. Hafley spent two seasons with the Packers, after previously serving as the head coach at Boston College for four seasons. Now that he’s the man in charge of the Dolphins, he’s begun filling out his coaching staff for the 2026 season.
Hafley’s staff has been a mixture of guys he’s familiar with from his time in college or Green Bay, coaches with a high reputation from around the league, and in some cases coaches who were already in the Dolphins organization. Some have been both, as is the case with offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik. Slowik was the Dolphins’ senior pass-game coordinator in the 2025 season, and also spent time with Hafley as the two were members of the 49ers coaching staff under Kyle Shanahan.
Unfortunately for Slowik and Hafley, a key member of their offensive staff has revealed he won’t be joining the Dolphins after all.
Miami Dolphins Lose Quarterbacks Coach
On Jan. 29, ESPN’s Dan Graziano reported that the Dolphins were expected to hire former Denver Broncos head coach Nathaniel Hackett as their new quarterbacks coach. After a two-year stint with the Jets as their offensive coordinator, Hackett returned to the Packers, where he had also served as an offensive coordinator under Matt LaFleur. However, in this instance, Hackett served as a defensive analyst helping defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley see how offenses might attack his defense.
He was meant to reunite with Hafley in Miami, and rejoin the offensive side of the ball, but a new development has changed that. NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reported that Hackett is now expected to be named the offensive coordinator for the Arizona Cardinals. He will work under Matt LaFleur’s brother, Mike LaFleur, who was recently named the head coach in Arizona.
The Dolphins will now have to find a replacement for Hackett as their quarterbacks coach. It will be hard to find someone with the experience and resume that Hackett would have provided the team. Darrell Bevell, who worked as the Dolphins’ quarterbacks coach from the 2022-2025 seasons, and worked with Slowik last year, has yet to find a team. He interviewed for the Jets for their vacant offensive coordinator position, but the Jets hired Frank Reich for the role.
Dolphins Quarterback Room
Perhaps the biggest question regarding the Dolphins quarterback room is not who the coach will be, but rather who will be the starting quarterback in 2026. The Dolphins have been careful speaking with the media about revealing any possible plan. Everything seems to indicate that the team will try to move on from Tua Tagovailoa, but the front office and coaching staff have not revealed that to the media.
Regarding Tua Tagovailoa and the quarterback room, offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik said, “We’re way early in the process … We’re going to try to push competition as often as we can at every spot.” The team has also been rumored to be targeting free agent quarterback Malik Willis, who spent time with Hafley in Green Bay. The Dolphins staff cannot currently comment on Willis, as he is technically still a member of the Packers up until free agency officially begins.
Jose Esquer Jose Esquer is a Mexican-American sportswriter and communications student based in San Diego, CA. His work spans football, basketball, baseball, and soccer. He has written for platforms like RotoWire and DolphinsTalk. You can find him on Twitter/X @JEsquer8, usually talking Dolphins, world football, or both. More about Jose Esquer
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