To invoke the late, great Dennis Green, the Miami Dolphins are who we thought they were. Or at least they hired the person everyone suspected would be their main target as head coach.
New Dolphins GM Jon-Eric Sullivan, who spent many years in the Green Bay Packers front office, hired Cheeseheads defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley to succeed Mike McDaniel on Monday.
A rather boring, predictable hire for my taste as a hardcore McDaniel defender, but hey, organizational alignment counts for something. McDaniel and Sullivan's predecessor, Chris Grier, was an arranged marriage of sorts. Perhaps the Dolphins can find some elusive stability with this Sully-Hafley Packers tandem arriving as a package deal from Titletown.
Speaking of familiarity factors, it's worth looking into what kind of staff Hafley could build out in Miami. Here are the top three contenders I could find who make the most sense for Hafley to bring with him from Matt LaFleur's stacked staff.
3 Green Bay Packers assistant coaches that Jeff Hafley should bring with him to the Miami Dolphins
DeMarcus Covington, defensive line coach/run game coordinator
A Super Bowl champion who had to grind through rather obscure colleges in the early going, DeMarcus Covington began his NFL journey as a coaching assistant under Bill Belichick.
Covington steadily worked his way up for the New England Patriots until he became the defensive coordinator last season following Belichick's departure. What bummer timing for the now-36-year-old. Suffered through the one-and-done Jerod Mayo era and fled before Mike Vrabel took over.
Although Hafley should be expected to dial up the defensive plays until we hear otherwise, Covington should be a prime candidate for the Dolphins' defensive coordinator. He'll want to redeem himself for his abbreviated Patriots tenure in that role.
What makes Covington's background even more unique is the fact that he played college football at Samford as a wide receiver. Talk about an all-encompassing, interdisciplinary knowledge of the game.
Covington would be a serious asset in Miami. Three of the five defensive tackles on the current roster are entering their second year in the NFL, headlined by 2025 first-round pick Kenneth Grant. They need someone who can acclimate them to Hafley's system and expedite their development in the process.
Lastly, you don't think Covington feels a type of way that Vrabel chose not to retain him? A low-key, juicy vengeance subplot in the AFC East awaits!
Sean Mannion, quarterbacks coach
I was today years old when I discovered that Sean Mannion was an NFL coach of any kind. Despite playing in the league as recently as 2023 as a QB, Mannion has already worked his way up to within one step of an offensive coordinator post. Quite the rapid ascent.
Ever since Sullivan was hired, I've said that Malik Willis signing with the Fins in free agency makes a lot of sense. Why not sweeten the deal by bringing his position coach from Green Bay into the fold?
Mannion could be a logical choice to be Hafley's offensive play-caller. Willis made huge strides over the last two seasons and played extremely well in place of an injured Jordan Love when called upon. No question Mannion had a lot to do with that.
If you go from bopping around practice squads to signing on as an offensive assistant, to being promoted to QB coach less than a year later, you just might have a knack for coaching. Journeyman Sean Mannion of all people could be as critical as anyone to the Dolphins' Hafley era.
And hey, if Willis is out of Miami's price range, Mannion's presence couldn't hurt for whoever the QB1 is in 2026 and beyond. He'd also be a boon to Quinn Ewers' progress if his work with Willis is any indication.
Ryan Downard, defensive backs coach
Now we get a longtime Hafley overlapper. Ryan Downard's ties to the new Dolphins boss stretch back to 2014, when they shared two seasons on Mike Pettine's Cleveland Browns staff. Downard held the simple title of "assistant coach", while Hafley was the defensive backs coach.
When Hafley left Boston College to take the Packers' DC gig before the 2024 season, he kept Downard on his staff when he could've cleaned house. Downard landed in Green Bay all the way back in 2018, but his job was in jeopardy once Hafley's predecessor, Joe Barry, was shown the door.
Guess who Green Bay's DC was for three seasons before Barry? That's right. Mike Pettine. Small world!
It's clear Downard and Hafley are tight. How could they not be with all these connections and shared history? A big part of Hafley's defensive scheme revolves around zone coverage and discipline in the secondary. That is Downard's wheelhouse.
Pretty easy to connect the dots on this one. In fact, Downard should feel more than a little slighted if Hafley doesn't take him along to the Dolphins, because he'd also be in the running for that defensive coordinator gig.