Dolphins hire new offensive line and running back coaches. Details on both
New Dolphins coach Jeff Hafley continued filling out his coaching staff on Wednesday, hiring Texans assistant Zach Yenser as Miami’s new offensive line coach, according to a league source.
Also, a league source confirmed that former NFL running back Ladell Betts will be the Dolphins new running backs coach, replacing Eric Studesville. Betts just completed his first season in that capacity with the New York Giants.
Yenser replaces Butch Barry, who is joining former Dolphins coach and new Chargers offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel on Jim Harbaugh’s staff in Los Angeles.
Yenser has been the Texans’ assistant offensive line coach for the past two years. He previously worked with Hafley on the 49ers’ staff, where he spent three seasons as assistant offensive line coach before taking a job as Kentucky’s offensive line coach in 2022.
Kentucky allowed 22 sacks in Yenser’s second and final season with the Wildcats, which ranked 44th best among 130-plus FBS schools.
The 49ers’ offensive line had great success while Yenser was there, but the Texans line was uneven this past season under the guidance of Houston offensive line coach Cole Popovich. Houston allowed the 13th fewest sacks in football in 2025 but averaged just 3.9 yards per carry, which was fourht worst in the league.
Because he was an assistant offensive line coach, it’s impossible to know how much credit or blame Yenser deserves in either of his NFL stops.
Yenser also previously worked at California and Louisiana Tech, after playing collegiately at East Tennessee State and Troy, where he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in communication and fine arts in 2007. He later earned his master’s degree in science with a concentration in sports performance from Louisiana Tech in 2012.
Yenser has coached four Pro Bowlers: tackles Laremy Tunsil (2024) and Trent Williams (2020-21) center Alex Mack (2021) and guard Laken Tomlinson (2021).
As for Betts, he was the Giants’ running back coach this past season, his first NFL gig. He previously worked as a high school coach in South Florida -- first as running backs coach at Coral Springs Christian Academy in 2013, then as offensive coordinator at Boca Raton High (2014-16) and then as head coach at Pine Crest in Fort Lauderdale in 2019 and 2020.
Before joining the Giants last year, he was the University of Iowa’s running backs coach from 2021 through 2024. Betts was drafted in the second round by Washington in 2002 and spent eight seasons there before finishing his career with a single season in New Orleans in 2010.
He averaged 4.1 yards on 821 career carries and 8.8 yards on 188 career receptions, with 15 rushing touchdowns and three receiving touchdowns.
Betts and Yenser become the fifth and sixth reported hires on Hafley’s staff, joining offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik, special teams coordinator Chris Tabor, receivers coach Tyke Tolbert and defensive passing game coordinator Ryan Downard.
Also, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported that Hafley plans to bring Packers linebackers coach Sean Duggan to Miami.
Here’s a look at 10 notable things that Hafley has said in recent days.
This story was originally published January 28, 2026 at 3:22 PM.
