Black Monday saw Miami Dolphins General Manager Chris Grier fired three-year head coach Brian Flores. Where do they go from here?
Black Monday struck early and hard for Miami Dolphins fans. After another winning season, Dolphins General Manager Chris Grier fired three-year head coach Brian Flores. Grier hired Flores in 2019, with expectations of a long-term solution for a team in a rebuilding phase.
Flores’ rookie season saw him finish with a 5-11 season. However, he followed up with two back-to-back winning seasons totaling 19-14. To put it in perspective, the Fins haven’t had back-to-back winning seasons in over two decades (2000-2001 season).
Divisive is one word to describe the Miami Dolphins fan base after the Flores firing. However, when speaking with Joe Rose, Miami Dolphins beat writer, Jeff Darlington stated how he was not surprised. His take was Grier fired Brian Flores, given the in-house issues that boiled over between the head coach and general manager.
After eight seasons as Director of college scouting, Grier took over as Dolphins general manager in 2016. During his stint as GM, Grier has a 47-50 record. Now he’s looking to hire his third head coach. The question is. Where do the Dolphins go from here?
The Dolphins have a great defense with a lot of cap space. However, the most important position has lingering questions. Tua Tagovailoa hasn’t lived up to the expectations in his second season, and he’ll have his fourth offensive coordinator going into year three. Unless the rumors continue and Grier trades the house for Watson.
Will Miami be a destination for the Texans quarterback? Rumors point to Brian Flores being the reason why Watson wanted Miami—we’ll see if those rumors continue. With that said, the new head coach must have a plan in place to get the best out of Tua. Unless they plan to bring in a quarterback to challenge the former No. 5 overall pick.
Top 5 Brian Flores replacements for Miami Dolphins
Before we dive into the list of Top 5 candidates. Fans may as well get the idea of Jim Harbaugh out of their minds. Owner Stephen Ross is a Michigan fanatic and won’t take him from his alma mater.
Harbaugh isn’t the only fish in the sea. If they want a college guy, Ryan Day should be on the list. Though, they want to stay away given the track record of former Ohio State coaches.
There are some other coaches that Miami Dolphins GM Chris Grier should have on his radar. One notable candidate is former Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis. He currently resides as an advisor to Arizona State, but make no mistake about it; he knows how to lead men and breathe life into a franchise. He deserves another shot in the NFL.
The current Buccaneers defensive coordinator, Todd Bowles, is another guy who should be on the Fin’s radar. He’s a great leader with ties to Dolphins and deserves another shot as a head coach.
5. Kellen Moore, Offensive Coordinator, Dallas Cowboys
The Miami Dolphins could decide to interject their team with another young coach. Kellen Moore is the new hot name on the offensive side of the ball teams will have on their radar. With Tua Tagovailoa being young and in need of a quarterback guru, Moore is the perfect fit.
For starters, Moore is a former NFL quarterback turned offensive coordinator. We’ve seen his willingness to run different styles of offenses, whether it’s play-action, no-huddle, RPO, or heavy motion. His balance led the Cowboys to the No. 1 ranked offense on the 2021 NFL Season.
The Cowboys ranked No. 9 in rushing offense. Ezekiel Elliott average 4.2 yards per carry for 1,002 yards. Tony Pollard averaged 5.5 yards per carry. Dak Prescott looked like an MVP quarterback who threw for 4,449-yards, completed over 68% of his passes, and had 37 touchdowns.
He’ll use the talent on his roster and get the best out of them. However, getting the right staff around him will be crucial. We’ve seen young head coaches surround themselves with coaching vets — Moore can do the same.
4. Nathaniel Hackett, OC, Green Bay Packers
When Aaron Rodgers is your quarterback, it’s hard to get recognition for your play calling. However, Packers offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett. Before becoming the offensive coordinator for the Packers, he had a stint with the Jacksonville Jaguars. During his Jags tenure, Hackett coached Blake Bortles during his best season as a pro.
In 2017, Blake Bortles finished with his best completion percentage and lowest interception total through 16 games. Leonard Fournette also benefitted from Hackett with a career-high eight rushing touchdowns.
Hackett knows how to set his quarterbacks for shots down the field. He utilizes the power running game and sets up play action. Aaron Jones and AJ Dillion help relieve pressure off Aaron Rodgers. Hackett runs a timing-based offense, and it’s evident in Aaron Rodger’s numbers. He took less risk than last year, averaging 7.7 yards per pass by taking advantage of the underneath routes.
If Tua is the guy under center. He does his best work in a run-based offense. He’s a timing quarterback who needs a running game to help him succeed—Hackett can do that for him.
3. Eric Bieniemy, OC, Kansas City Chiefs
Kansas City’s Eric Bieniemy will get a head coaching gig in 2022. With Miami struggling offensively, his name should be on the list. Beyond that, rumors have linked the Miami Dolphins and Deshaun Watson since the disgruntled quarterback requested a trade. After Bill O’Brien’s firing, it was reported that Watson was upset the team didn’t consider Bieniemy for their head coaching vacancy.
With Watson and Bieniemy, the Fins catapult themselves into the conversation for AFC East division winners. If not, what Bienemy does will help Tua. He’ll spread the offense out and utilize Jalen Waddle’s speed. Albert Wilson will pick up where he left off back in his Kansas City days. The offensive line would need to be more agile due to the pass-heavy nature of Bienemy’s style.
Mike Gesicki will benefit the most from the offensive change. He’ll become a focal point of the offense, similar to Travis Kelce. Gesicki’s ability to line up in the slot along with his athleticism will see him become an instant Pro Bowl player. The question is… Will he see Miami as a good destination?
2. Jim Caldwell, Former Head Coach, Detroit Lions
The Miami Dolphins could opt for a mature, wise, offensive-minded leader as their head coach—Jim Caldwell is the guy. He’s a proven head coach who knows how to get the best out of his teams—look at the Lions. Since firing Caldwell after his 9-7 season, the Lions haven’t seen a winning season yet.
He got the best out of Matt Stafford after Calvin Johnson retired. Caldwell runs a complex run blocking scheme utilizing both man and zone. The Fins should go hard in free agency after vet offensive lineman, which should help with the transition to Caldwell.
Caldwell isn’t a stranger to the Miami Dolphins either. He was hired with Brian Flores as assistant head coach/quarterbacks coach in 2018. However, because of health issues, Caldwell stepped away. Perhaps, he could come in and be the veteran leader the Dolphins need.
Caldwell is a successful head coach in the NFL with a 62-50 regular-season record. 2-4 in the postseason as a head coach, including an AFC Championship in 2009.
1. Doug Pederson, Former Head Coach, Philadelphia Eagles
Finding a head coach who has done it before should be a priority for Chris Grier and the Miami Dolphins. Dough Pederson, an offensive-minded head coach, led the Eagles to a Super Bowl victory with Nick Foles at the helm. He’s responsible for helping Carson Wentz look like an NFL MVP. Pederson knows how to put a staff together.
During his Super Bowl run, he put together a staff that consisted of former quarterbacks. Indianapolis Colts head coach Frank Reich served as Pederson’s offensive coordinator. While former NFL quarterback turned offensive coordinator, John DeFilippo served as his quarterback’s coach.
Imagine him bringing that same staff (minus Reich) to the Miami Dolphins to help coach up Tua or whoever the quarterback is. Pederson’s heavy RPO style is the perfect fit for what Tua does well. It’ll be a more creative offense than they’ve had in the past. Moreover, he loves to utilize his tight ends, and the Fins have a rising star in Mike Gesicki. Instead of Nelson Agular, he’ll have Jaylen Waddle.
Pederson brings a winning formula and veteran presence to the Fins. With a 58-49 record and Super Bowl ring, how could the Dolphins brass not have him as their No. 1 target?