After finishing with a 7-10 record and in third place in the AFC East, the Miami Dolphins have a new head coach for their 2026 campaign, as they’ve brought in Jeff Hafley to replace Mike McDaniel.
While this is Hafley’s first time running an NFL team, he has experience as a head coach in college, leading the Boston College Eagles to a 22-26 record over four seasons.
In South Florida, Hafley is leading a franchise that’s going through a rebuild, so there aren’t high expectations for the team this year. However, CBS Sports’ Carter Bahns believes that Hafley’s first season in Miami could be a success if he can turn Malik Willis into a franchise cornerstone.
“The Miami Dolphins invested in a low-risk, high-reward gamble on Willis in free agency,” Bahns wrote. “The odds of him developing into a franchise quarterback are still modest, especially since the front office gutted the roster around him and left him without any established receivers. However, by making him the sixth-lowest-paid starter among veterans and investing no guaranteed money beyond 2027, the Dolphins gave themselves an off-ramp in case it does not work out
“Their win total should be low enough to position them to take a top quarterback prospect in the draft, but what if Jeff Hafley and his staff get enough out of Willis to reduce that need? That is a legitimately possible outcome, and it helps that Hafley holds two years of experience with his quarterback — albeit having coached on the opposite side of the ball during his run as the Green Bay Packers’ defensive coordinator. Putting Willis in position to thrive would turn a projected early pick into even more valuable capital that can be used to expedite the rebuild, either with the selection of a premier prospect at a different position or as a trade chip.”
This is a tough task for Hafley, as Willis is entering his fifth season in the NFL and has had mixed results in his time with the Tennessee Titans and Green Bay Packers. It’s a small sample size, so Willis could look like a serviceable starter like he did in Green Bay while filling in for Jordan Love, or he could look like he’s in over his head like he did in Tennessee.
Having the flexibility to use a first-round pick on the best player available instead of feeling pigeonholed into taking a quarterback would be a huge win for the Dolphins. If offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik can get the best out of Willis, they’d put the team in a much better spot for the future.
This article originally appeared on Dolphins Wire: Accomplishing this one goal could make Dolphins season as a success
Reporting by Mike Masala, Dolphins Wire / Dolphins Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Mike Masala, Dolphins Wire | USA TODAY Network
