Top candidate for Dolphins’ coaching vacancy joining New York Giants
.JPG "Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator Brian Daboll during pre-game warmups before an NFL divisional playoff football game against the Kansas City Chiefs, Sunday, Jan. 23, 2022 in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Reed Hoffmann)")
The Dolphins are preparing to conduct a second round of interviews next week for their head-coaching vacancy but won’t be speaking to a top candidate.
The New York Giants have hired Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator Brian Daboll as their next head coach.
The Dolphins had reportedly requested a second interview with Daboll, 46, who was strongly linked to Miami’s opening because of his ties to the team as a former offensive coordinator. He was also quarterback Tua Tagovailoa’s offensive coordinator for one season at Alabama.
However, Daboll has chosen to join the Giants and new general manager Joe Schoen, a former Dolphins executive who spent the last several years as the Bills’ assistant GM.
The development leaves San Francisco 49ers offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel and Dallas Cowboys offensive coordinator Kellen Moore as top candidates to be the Dolphins’ next head coach. According to NFL Network, McDaniel, Moore and Daboll were among the candidates expected to be interviewed a second time.
Moore, 33, just completed his third season as the Cowboys offensive coordinator after spending the 2018 season as Dallas’ quarterbacks coach. The Cowboys offense ranked first in points and total yards this season.
McDaniel, 38, is in his first season as 49ers offensive coordinator after serving as run game coordinator in San Francisco from 2017 to 2020. He is still coaching in the playoffs with the 49ers, who will play the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC Championship Game Sunday. If the 49ers advance to the Super Bowl, which will be played at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, on Feb. 13, the Dolphins would have to wait until after the game is played to officially hire McDaniel.
The Dolphins have also interviewed the following coaches: Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn, Bills defensive coordinator/assistant head coach Leslie Frazier, Arizona Cardinals defensive coordinator Vance Joseph and Rams running backs coach/assistant head coach Thomas Brown. Quinn told teams Thursday that he is removing his name from consideration and returning to Dallas for the 2022 season.
Three of the nine coaching vacancies in the NFL have now been filled: the Giants have hired Daboll, the Denver Broncos have hired former Green Bay Packers offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett and the Chicago Bears have hired former Indianapolis Colts defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus.
The six head-coaching jobs that remain unfilled are the Dolphins, Jacksonville Jaguars, Minnesota Vikings, Houston Texans, Las Vegas Raiders and New Orleans Saints.
This story may be updated.
This story was originally published January 28, 2022 at 6:39 PM.
