The Miami Dolphins have spent this past week focused on interviews for their vacancy at offensive coordinator. While previous coordinator Chan Gailey’s offense enjoyed more points than any Dolphins team on this side of Dan Marino’s prime (their 404 points scored was the most for a Dolphins team since 1986), the general perception of Miami’s one-year experiment was that the Dolphins left too much mean on the bone in 2020.
And as other teams around the league begin to secure their head coaches and other teams still look to promote from within to secure key assistants, the Dolphins should consider themselves somewhat on the clock.
The process has already begun and the Dolphins are reportedly down one of their finalists to replace Gailey as the team’s play caller. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported yesterday at that Pittsburgh is expected to promote QB coach Matt Canada to offensive coordinator.
The #Steelers are expected to promote QB coach Matt Canada to offensive coordinator, sources tell me and @TomPelissero. A creative mind originally from the college game, Canada also interviewed with the #Dolphins but now stays in Pittsburgh.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 16, 2021
Of the six names reported to be on Miami’s short list, Canada is not the first to presumably have his name crossed off Miami’s list. Clemson offensive coordinator Tony Elliott reportedly informed the team he’s more interested in staying at Clemson for the time being. Additionally, 49ers run game coordinator Mike McDaniel is reportedly in line to receive a promotion to offensive coordinator in San Francisco. Those losses to the short list, in addition to now Canada’s pending promotion in Pittsburgh, leaves the Dolphins with just three of their initial candidates left; two of which are in-house candidates in George Godsey and Eric Studesville.
The other, former Chargers QB coach Pep Hamilton, seems to be firmly in the running as well. But the Dolphins’ dilemma now will be whether or not to add additional candidates from the staffs of the teams losing this weekend — or whether or not someone from the first round of interviews was able to sweep them off their feet.
