How would a Miami Dolphins fan grade the hiring of Jeff Hafley to be the team's next head coach? If you had to think about that for a second, imagine what non-fans are thinking. Hafley was impressive in his introduction press conference, but as I have been told previously, "Everyone wins the introduction."
Fans have jumped on the Hafley ship. Considering the Mike McDaniel ship, this is like upgrading to a mid-level cruise ship. It's nicer than the older ships, but is it elite? That is what Hafley has to figure out, and he is going to get time to do so.
Dolphins fans may not be ready to give the hiring a grade, but several media outlets have. CBS Sports, Bleacher Report, and others have given the paper a "C."
Jeff Hafley hire isn't met with the same enthusiasm as some may have hoped for
The best we have seen so far was a "B" from one member of ESPN. WalterFootball.com, a draft site, gave the hire a "D-," the lowest we have seen so far. The reality is, however, that we don't know what kind of coach he will be.
Hafley hasn't improved his status with the hiring of Bobby Slowik to run his offense. Slowik makes sense, but he struggled in his last season as a playcaller for the Texans in 2024. Hafley has also stated he will call the defensive plays, so his eventual DC hire will be less directly responsible for the defense than most.
In Green Bay, the results were mixed over the two years Hafley ran their defense. While some fans are heralding a new era of Dolphins football, the biggest question is, how long will it take before we know if this restructure works?
Hafley and Jon-Eric Sullivan have a massive rebuild ahead of them. They have question marks at nearly every position, another reason why the grades have been low. The Dolphins rolling with yet another first-time head coach is also driving fans mad.
Two years ago, the Patriots were the cellar dwellers of the AFC East, and the Denver Broncos were getting 70 points put on them by the McDaniel-led Dolphins offense. The Patriots are going to their 10th Super Bowl since the Dolphins last won a playoff game, and Denver came two missed field goals and an injury to Bo Nix from beating New England to take their place.
Both teams are coached by veterans with experience. The Dolphins could have tried to pursue Mike Vrabel last offseason, but opted to run it back with Grier and McDaniel. Now, another two-year window, and questions about whether or not the new head coach can turn it around.