Dolphins request to interview Rams assistant, a former UM offensive coordinator
The Dolphins have requested to interview Los Angeles Rams running backs coach and assistant head coach Thomas Brown for the team’s head coaching vacancy, according to NFL Network.
Brown is the seventh name to surface for the Dolphins’ opening since Brian Flores was fired Monday.
According to the report, Brown, 35, “reminds some in the league of a young Mike Tomlin,” the 15-year Pittsburgh Steelers head coach who has won a Super Bowl and has never had a losing season.
Brown is in his second season with the Rams after nine seasons of coaching in college, which included a three-year stint as offensive coordinator and running backs coach at the University of Miami under Mark Richt.
A former University of Georgia running back who ended his career as the program’s fifth-leading rusher, Brown was selected by the Atlanta Falcons in the sixth round of the 2008 NFL Draft. He was with Atlanta for the 2008 season and the Cleveland Browns from 2009 to 2010 before joining the coaching ranks.
“I lean on him in a lot of ways,” Rams coach Sean McVay said, according to the Associated Press. “He’s just got a great feel for people. He’s got a great pulse of the team, and he’s one of those guys that I can always trust is going to be able to give me valuable information. ... When you meet certain people, they’re refreshingly secure, just comfortable in their own skin. That’s exactly how he’s always been from the time that we’ve been working together.”
McVay’s staff in Los Angeles has quickly become a pipeline to climb the coaching ranks. In recent years, Brandon Staley (Los Angeles Chargers), Zac Taylor (Cincinnati Bengals) and Matt LaFleur (Green Bay Packers) have all spent time on McVay’s staff before becoming head coaches.
The Rams host the Arizona Cardinals in the wild-card round of the playoffs Monday.
Brown joins Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator Brian Daboll and defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier, Dallas Cowboys offensive coordinator Kellen Moore and defensive coordinator Dan Quinn, San Francisco 49ers offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel and Cardinals defensive coordinator Vance Joseph among the Dolphins’ interview requests.
According to Peter Schrager of Good Morning Football, the Dolphins will interview Daboll Sunday and Frazier next week.
Of the prospective candidates, Brown, Daboll, Moore and McDaniel have never been head coaches in the NFL, while Frazier, Quinn and Joseph have. Daboll, Quinn and Joseph all have ties to the Dolphins, spending time as either coordinators or position coaches.
Flores, who has been linked to openings with the Chicago Bears and Houston Texans, interviewed for both jobs Friday.
No All-Pro votes for Miami
The Associated Press 2021 NFL All-Pro Team was released Friday and no Dolphins players received a vote for the roster.
Two former Dolphins, Bears defensive end Robert Quinn and wide receiver/return specialist Jakeem Grant, were named second-team All-Pro and another, Pittsburgh Steelers safety Minkah Fitzpatrick, received a vote.
Three Dolphins made last year’s All-Pro team, Grant, cornerback Xavien Howard and kicker Jason Sanders.
This story was originally published January 14, 2022 at 1:04 PM.
