Why the Seahawks offer a unique blueprint to success for the Dolphins
It didn’t happen overnight.
But within two years, the Seattle Seahawks went from out of the playoffs to Super Bowl champions. The reasoning — defensive-minded head coach, pounce on an ascending quarterback and build through draft — offer the Miami Dolphins a pathway out of obscurity.
When it comes to the first piece, the Dolphins certainly have that in Jeff Hafley, whose journey somewhat mirrors that of his Seahawks counterpart Mike Macdonald. Both were hired after stints as a defensive coordinator for storied franchises. Both also served as defensive coordinators on opposite sides of the biggest rivalry in college football (Macdonald for Michigan and Hafley for Ohio State). And both were first-time NFL head coaches.
One of Macdonald’s key traits that has since emerged after Sunday’s victory, however, should be noted: his improved ability to connect with players.
“I honestly started feeling it throughout OTAs,” Seahawks defensive tackle Leonard Williams told ESPN. “Coach Macdonald, his leadership, I think, has gained a lot of respect from the team. You can see people respect him and listen to him. I think a part of it is he points out when he has flaws, which allows players to feel comfortable when they have flaws pointed out as well. So I think it just starts with him. It kind of just bled into the rest of the team.”
Luckily, Hafley appears to already be adept in that area. From Richard Sherman to Ronde Barber, his former players have raved about his ability to not only simplify the game but tailor the plan to their skill set, something that can only happen when someone knows their team inside and out. Put differently, he listens.
“The biggest thing I’ve learned is I don’t have all the answers,” Hafley told Fox Sports in 2025, “and if I keep listening, and I keep learning and evolving, things are going to be pretty good.”
Then comes the quarterback quandary. The Dolphins, of course, owe Tua Tagovailoa an ungodly amount of money. Besides him, there’s the unproven rookie Quinn Ewers, who completed 66% of his passes for 633 yards as well as a trio of both touchdowns picks during his three-game stint as QB1.
Here, however, the Dolphins could potentially take a page out of the Seahawks’ book. Rewind to the 2025 offseason, Seattle had a choice in what to do with Geno Smith. In the end, the team sent him to the Las Vegas Raiders and signed journeyman Sam Darnold.
Despite the questions surrounding Darnold due to his decline at the end of the season and playoffs in 2024, the former No. 3 overall pick proceeded to turn in the best season of his career en route to the Super Bowl. The Dolphins could potentially do something similar with Green Bay’s Malik Willis, a career backup who has shown flashes and will likely command full-time starter money when he hits free agency on March 11. And while a combination of Tagovailoa’s poor play in 2025 as well as the Dolphins’ cap constraints prevent the franchise from dealing the former Alabama standout to replace him with Willis, the newfound Packers connection that currently runs through the organization could be a potential lure.
For the record, the point isn’t that Willis can be Darnold. The skill sets differ greatly. Instead, it’s to say that the right quarterback can certainly change a franchise’s fortunes in an instant — that is, if the surrounding pieces happen to be already set.
“We need to get the quarterback situation in place, but we’re not going to do it in an irresponsible manner, where we sacrifice building the infrastructure of this football team so that when we do find our guy, he can go be successful,” Dolphins general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan said during his opening news conference.
The last, yet arguably most important piece of the puzzle comes down to the draft. Scan the Seahawks’ selections over the last four seasons, and you will find the heartbeat of this team.
In 2022, it was Super Bowl 60 MVP Kenneth Walker III, cornerback Riq Woolen and tackle Charles Cross. In 2023, reigning offensive player of the year Jaxon Smith-Njigba and cornerback Devon Weatherspoon. In 2024, it was star defensive tackle Byron Murphy. And in 2025, it was offensive lineman Grey Zabel and safety Nick Emmanwori.
Unfortunately, poor evaluation ultimately prevented that process from taking root in Miami. That, however, will apparently change under Sullivan.
“We will draft, develop and retain our own,” Sullivan emphasized during his opening news conference. “There are things that come with that; No. 1 is culture. When you raise your own, people are vested, they’re bought in. There’s a financial component to it with rookie contracts, it keeps you in a healthy cap situation. But the most important thing is the culture piece of it.”
The Dolphins have a long way to go to reach the Seahawks’ level. That said, the path is clear as day. Hopefully, the Dolphins can follow it to the promised land.
This story was originally published February 10, 2026 at 4:38 PM.
