The Miami Dolphins have made their decision on who will coach the most important position on the field.
Mississippi State’s associate head coach for offense Bush Hamdan will serve as the new Dolphins quarterbacks coach, a league sourced confirmed to the Miami Herald. A two-time captain for Boise State during the mid-to-late 2000s who has since spent most of his time during the college ranks, Hamdan’s previous stint in the NFL came in 2017 as quarterback coach for Matt Ryan and the Atlanta Falcons. That season, Ryan passed for more than 4,000 yards, the sixth-highest mark in the league, and led the Falcons to divisional round of the NFC playoffs.
Hamdan, however, will have his work cut out for him with the Dolphins, a team with a quarterback coming off a dismal season in Tua Tagovailoa and an unproven second-year player in Quinn Ewers.
Additionally, coach Jeff Hafley hired Ron Middleton as his tight ends coach. Middle has nearly 30 years of coaching experience, 15 of which came in the NFL. He has spent time with the New York Jets (2021-24), Jacksonville Jaguars (2013-20) and Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2004-06).
Middleton’s time at the collegiate level included time with Troy (1997-98), Ole Miss (1999-2003), Alabama (2007) and Duke (2008-12). Prior to coaching, the former tight end spent a decade in the NFL, most notably winning a Super Bowl 26 with the then-Washington Redskins.
Beginning in 2009, Hamdan has coached throughout the collegiate ranks including stops at Colorado, Maryland, Florida, Arkansas State, Davidson, Washington, Missouri, Boise State and Kentucky. He has held a number of roles as a position coach for quarterbacks, wide receivers and tight ends as well as served as offensive coordinator for five schools including Washington, Kentucky and Boise State.
As of Friday evening, Hafley’s coaching staff is as follows: Kevin Patullo (offensive passing game coordinator), Ryan Downward (defensive backs/ defensive pass game coordinator), Jahmile Addae (defensive backs/ cornerbacks coach), Zach Yenser (offensive line coach), Ladell Betts (running backs coach), Al Washington (linebackers), Tyke Tolbert (wide receivers coach), Austin Clark (defensive line coach), Joe Barry (run game coordinator/ senior defensive assistant), Sean Duggan (defensive coordinator), Bobby Slowik (offensive coordinator) and Chris Tabor (special teams coach). The assistant coaches include Matt Applebaum (offensive line), Lemeul Jeanpierre (tight ends), Jonathan Krause (wide receivers), Leander Wallace (offense), Wendel Davis (linebackers), Siriki Diabate (defensive quality control), Chuka Ndulue (defensive line) DeShawn Shead (defensive backs/ nickels), Brock Olivo (assistant special teams) and Darius Eubanks (special teams assistant).
Dolphins GM gives QB update
During an exclusive, fan-only press conference with Hafley and general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan, the topic of quarterback was broached.
Sullivan wouldn’t get into specifics yet shared that the Dolphins will evaluate some quarterbacks in the upcoming NFL Draft. Most notably, however, he explained that there hasn’t been a decision on whether Tagovailoa will remain with the team through the 2026 season.
“Tua has been a very good player in this league, and he has done a lot of great things for the Miami Dolphins,” Sullivan said, adding that he’s unsure of what the future holds. “We’re working through some things. What I can tell you is that we’re going to infuse competition into that room whether Tua is part of that room or whether he’s not part of that room.”
Sullivan later explained that he’s been very communicative with Tagovailoa since day one.
“We’ve been very honest and up front,” Sullivan said before addressing the fans outright. “Tua also knows that he will be the first to know when we make a decision. So if Tua is the first to know, you guys can’t be the first to know. We’re getting close to a decision.”
Tagovailoa had the worst season of his career in 2025, showing a clear decline in athleticism as well as throwing 15 interceptions in 14 games, the second-highest mark in the NFL.
This story was originally published February 13, 2026 at 9:33 AM.
Miami Herald
C. Isaiah Smalls II is a sports and culture writer who covers the Miami Dolphins. In his previous capacity at the Miami Herald, he was the race and culture reporter who created The 44 Percent, a newsletter dedicated to the Black men who voted to incorporate the city of Miami. A graduate of both Morehouse College and Columbia Graduate School of Journalism, Smalls previously worked for ESPN’s Andscape.