Before new Miami Dolphins head coach Jeff Hafley can start working on what will be an in-depth roster evaluation, he will need to hire a coaching staff. That won't be easy.
Hafley has never been an NFL head coach, so he can't bring with him the guys he has worked with throughout his career, but his ties at both the NCAA and NFL levels will make it easy to assemble a staff. There will be interview requests with other teams, including the Packers, and he will lean heavily on his past, as most coaches do.
At this level, Hafley has accomplished nothing as an HC. The roster will be a collaboration between him and GM Jon-Eric Sullvan, but the coaching staff will primarily be his to decide.
Jeff Hafley's first job is to determine what coaches he wants to keep in Miami, and these two would make sense
The Dolphins don't have a bad coaching staff in place, but this is a new regime with a new culture and vision. There will probably be a bigger emphasis on accountability by the coaches. Miami will get an offensive coordinator who will call their own plays, unlike McDaniel, but it is unclear if Hafley will handle the defensive side of the ball himself.
The #Dolphins have zeroed in on #Packers defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley as their new head coach, per me and @TomPelissero.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 19, 2026
The two sides need to do a deal, and they are motivated to do so. One of most coveted candidates. pic.twitter.com/yNc26tytW8
Dolphins LB coach Joe Barry
Barry has been with the Dolphins since 2024. He has a direct tie with the Packers, but it isn't a good one. Barry was the defensive coordinator for the Packers for three seasons before being replaced by Hafley.
It's unlikely Hafley keeps him around, but with seven years of NFL experience as a DC, Barry could be an ideal candidate to take over the DC job in Miami. Hafley will likely call plays, but Barry is a good coach. Hafley will need to defer to Sullivan on this one, as he wasn't with the Packers when Barry was there.
Anthony Weaver is likely going to be gone before the end of the month. There is speculation that he will rejoin John Harbaugh with the Giants. If Barry is promoted to DC, it would be a full circle turnaround for the Dolphins' current LB coach.
Dolphins offensive line coach Butch Barry
The Dolphins' offensive line improved despite poor personnel. Barry is the reason. He managed to make something out of nothing. The Dolphins under Sullivan and Hafley are going to bring a renewed focus to building a strong offensive line. Barry is an ideal coach to help make that happen.
Barry has an extensive background in offensive line coaching, and he also has ties to the Packers. In 2020, Barry was hired as a senior analyst for one season. He worked with the coaching staff and the general manager. Sullivan was part of the Packers' personnel department.
If Hafley is looking to keep current coaches, Butch Barry would be a smart move. It would be great to see what he could do with better linemen.