The Miami Dolphins already poached respected special teams coordinator Chris Tabor from the Buffalo Bills. They are going back to that well to find their secondary coach.
The Bills surprised a lot of people when they fired Sean McDermott after they lost in the playoffs. They surprised no one when they hired OC Joe Brady to replace him. The Bills' coaching staff has been a good one over the years, and the play in the secondary hasn't been back.
Jeff Hafley is pulling Jahmile Addae off the Bills' staff and putting him in charge of the Dolphins' defensive backs.
Sources: The Miami Dolphins are set to hire Bills cornerbacks coach Jahmile Addae in the same role. He’s a veteran secondary coach who spent time in college coaching defensive backs at Miami, Georgia, West Virginia, Minnesota and Arizona. He was WVU’s CO-DC in 2020. pic.twitter.com/JmHvxd1ROu
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) January 29, 2026
Miami Dolphins continue to fill their coaching vacancies; hire Jahmile Addae to coach secondary
Addae will be tasked with turning around a unit that has been horrible the last two seasons. Mostly due to injury and bad personnel decisions by Chris Grier. That won't be the case for him this year. A tough coach who holds players accountable, Addae fits the mold of what Hafley has said he is looking for.
Fans on social media have expressed their approval, which we don't often see from Dolphins fans or in coaching moves.
Oh I really like this one. Steal from a division rival, and he's the guy that turned Benford into a freak??
— Manuel (@DaMerenghini) January 29, 2026
The hire comes on the heels of Hafley adding now former New York Giants running back coach Ladell Betts for the same job. With Betts now handling the RBs, longtime coach Eric Studesville will not return. Studesville has been with the Dolphins since 2017.
It will be interesting to see what Betts can do with the RB unit. It was the best part of the Dolphins' offense. Studesville made names of De'Von Achane, Jay Ajayi, Kenyan Drake, and Myles Gaskin. All without the support of a quality quarterback.
Hafley has said that he would need to make changes with the staff, but he also said that he would look to retain some as well. He promoted Bobby Slowik to offensive coordinator, a move that is both surprising to some and expected by others, yet it didn't blow anyone away.
Miami has already lost several coaches from the Mike McDaniel staff.
Coach | Title | New team |
|---|---|---|
Brian Duker | Passing game/secondary | Jets |
Craig Aukerman | ST coordinator | Falcons |
Robert Prince | WR coach | Falcons |
Sean Ryan | OLB | Syracuse |
Butch Barry | Offensive line | Chargers |
Darrel Bevel, Frank Smith, and Anthony Weaver are interviewing for other teams, but nothing has been made official.