Friday night update: Dolphins interview Campanile, Shula. Where things now stand
Aside from moderate success in four years under Jimmy Johnson, the Dolphins haven’t done any kind of sustained winning since Don Shula was pushed gently aside in 1996 after establishing the NFL’s all-time victory record and guiding the Dolphins to two Super Bowl championships and 24 winning seasons in 26 years.
His grandson, Rams defensive coordinator Chris Shula, on Friday evening had the opportunity to make the case that he can get the Dolphins back on a path to happier times.
Shula interviewed with the Dolphins -- and, reportedly, Baltimore and Pittsburgh as well on Friday -- during a narrow window when Rams coach Sean McVay permitted his assistants to interview for head jobs with other teams as Los Angeles prepares for Sunday’s playoff game at Chicago. Seven teams have asked to interview Shula, per SI.com.
The Dolphins also interviewed Jaguars defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile earlier in the day Friday, bringing their number of completed head coaching interviews to seven.
Campanile, 43, was the Dolphins linebackers coach from 2020 through 2023, then spent 2024 as the linebackers coach and (defensive) run game coordinator in Green Bay, where he had interaction with new Dolphins general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan.
He became a defensive coordinator for the first time this season, with the Jaguars. And Jacksonville’s defense finished 11th in yards allowed per game (at 303.6) and eighth in points permitted (19.8). Jacksonville had the No. 1 run defense and was second in forcing turnovers.
Before joining Brian Flores’ Dolphins staff, Campanile worked at Rutgers, Boston College and Michigan. The New Jersey native - whose passionate speeches to players were featured when the Dolphins were the subject of HBO’s Hard Knocks earlier this decade - played safety and linebacker at Rutgers.
As for Shula, he would certainly qualify as a sentimental choice if he gets the job, beyond his solid resume.
McVay promoted Shula to defensive coordinator before the 2024 season, and Shula this season oversaw a defense that finished 10th in points allowed at 20.4.
Shula, 39, began his coaching career at Ball State as an assistant linebackers coach in 2010, then was a graduate assistant at Indiana and spent two years as defensive coordinator at John Carroll in Ohio, the alma mater of his legendary grandfather.
He was the Chargers’ defensive quality control coach in 2015 and 2016 and has been with the Rams since 2017, initially working with the team’s linebackers before his promotion to coordinator.
Earlier this season, Shula expressed interest in becoming a head coach.
“I think that’s the goal of any coach that wants to be in the league, you want to take yourself to the highest profession,” Shula said in November.
“That doesn’t mean you’re going to walk away for any single opportunity.”
Shula’s grandfather Don, who died in 2020, still holds the NFL’s all-time victory mark (347).
Chris Shula’s father, Dave Shula, was coach of the Cincinnati Bengals from 1992 and 1996, worked in the family’s steak business for awhile, and most recently coached Dartmouth’s wide receivers from 2018 through 2023.
There was early speculation that the Steelers might hire Shula quickly, following a path they took when they hired young defensive coordinators Bill Cowher and Mike Tomlin many years ago. Both of those hires were wildly successful.
But the Steelers - like the Dolphins and most of the other teams conducting a search - appear to be taking their time and speaking to several candidates.
The Dolphins now have interviewed seven candidates; they met in person with former Browns coach Kevin Stefanski and virtually with Seattle offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak, Packers defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley, 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh, Campanile, Shula and Chargers defensive coordinator Jesse Minter.
They’ve requested permission to speak with at least three others -- Bills offensive coordinator Joe Brady and defensive coordinators Kelvin Sheppard (Detroit) and Patrick Graham (Raiders).
NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero on Friday mentioned Tennessee, Atlanta and Baltimore as potential landing spots for Stefanski. If he ends up with one of those teams, that would increase the chances of the Dolphins’ opting for a first-time head coach for the seventh consecutive time.
Of the other nine publicly identified Dolphins candidates besides Stefanski, only one (Saleh) has been a head coach before. The Dolphins pursued former Ravens coach John Harbaugh, but he continues to work to finalize a deal with the Giants.
It’s unclear if the Dolphins will request an interview with former Packers Super Bowl-winning coach Mike McCarthy, who interviewed for the Tennessee Titans coaching job this week.
Coaches employed by any of the 32 teams cannot interview in person with any teams until Monday. Coaches of the four teams that advance in the playoffs this weekend cannot interview in person until Jan. 26 at the earliest.
The Dolphins likely will request second interviews with any of the 10 candidates who advance past the first round of interviews. And it’s possible additional candidates could be added.
This story was originally published January 16, 2026 at 4:40 PM.
