The Miami Dolphins had a quarterbacks coach, then they didn’t, and now they have one again.
The Dolphins are hiring Mississippi State associate head coach for offense Bush Hamdan as quarterbacks coach, according to a league source Friday morning.
The Dolphins had first hired longtime NFL offensive coordinator and one-time head coach Nathaniel Hackett for the job on new coach Jeff Hafley’s staff under offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik, but Hackett then got an opportunity back in the coordinator ranks with the Arizona Cardinals.
Hamdan, who turned 40 on Tuesday, had only recently taken the job with Mississippi State, since the end of the past college football season. He has been offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Kentucky the past two seasons, his alma mater Boise State in 2023, Washington in 2018 and 2019, Davidson in 2014 and was a co-offensive coordinator at Arkansas State in 2013.
Hamdan is back in the NFL for the first time since 2017, when he was Atlanta Falcons quarterbacks coach. In college, he has also coached passers at Missouri from 2020 through 2022, doubling as wide receivers coach two of those seasons. Hamdan also coached wideouts with the Florida Gators in 2012.
A native of Kuwait, Hamdan was a quarterback in college at Boise State from 2004 through 2008.
Along with Slowik, the Dolphins will have former Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo as pass-game coordinator, after he was hired for that role earlier this week.
As quarterbacks coach, Hamdan will be working with a position that should see competition for the starting job ahead of the 2026 season.
It will likely involve rising second-year quarterback Quinn Ewers, and Miami will have a decision to make on whether to bring back Tua Tagovailoa, trade him while covering a portion of his $54 million guaranteed next season or cut him and take on a huge dead cap hit.