Midway through the 2024 season, the Miami Dolphins' defense is starting to shine. The man responsible, Anthony Weaver, is also shining. Will the Dolphins lose him after the season?
When Weaver took the job, his former coach, John Harbaugh, mentioned that he wasn't surprised by Weaver's demand. He went so far as to say that he could easily see Weaver as a head coaching candidate in the future. That future may be sooner than Dolphins fans would like.
If Miami continues to play well defensively and gets back into the Wild Card chase, expect Weaver to draw interest from teams with a head coaching vacancy. He is charismatic, tough, and knowledgeable, and his players respect him. Joe Schad of the Palm Beach Post mentioned this as a possibility in his column this week.
It's a growing trend in the NFL to hire coaches who were former players, and Weaver fits that profile. If they did lose him, the Dolphins' search for a new DC likely won't last long.
Robert Saleh makes too much sense as potential future Dolphins defensive coordinator
Fans will need to start wrapping their heads around one name: Robert Saleh. Yes, the same guy fired by the New York Jets a few weeks ago is the guy who would more than likely sit near the top of Mike McDaniel's coaching search to replace his current DC.
McDaniel and Saleh are close friends. They have worked together in the past and maintain their friendship across the field. Saleh isn't seeking work in 2024, and he may be on the list for a head coach job in 2025, although it would more likely be in 2026.
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It's hard to imagine the Dolphins losing Weaver and not adding Saleh to take his place were that to happen. Saleh's problem in New York was on the offensive side of the ball, which he didn't control. The Jets' defense was talented and played well. Saleh left that unit up to his DC and let him run it, but when he had control, they played much better and were more disciplined. Without the onus of being the coach of everything, Saleh can slide back into what he does best: coaching stout physical defenses.
It's a long way between now and the start of the 2025 season, but the coaching carousel will begin to turn the moment the regular season ends. If the Dolphins continue to play as they are defensively, Weaver may not be around in 2025.