Former player, Chargers DC Hill back as secondary/ passing game coordinator

The Miami Dolphins have hired former player and Los Angeles Chargers defensive coordinator Renaldo Hill as secondary/passing-game coordinator under new defensive coordinator Vic Fangio, according to a league source Monday.

Hill, 44, ran the Chargers defense the past two seasons, and before that, he was defensive backs coach with the Denver Broncos when Fangio was head coach there.

“Renaldo’s a good coach,” Fangio said at his introductory press conference with the Dolphins on Monday, hours after news broke of his reunion with Hill. “Really talented coach that’s got a bright future in the NFL.

“His familiarity with me, with the system and what we do was important to me, but regardless of that, just his ability to be a great coach was what attracted me to him.”

Hill is a former Dolphins safety, who played for Miami from 2006 to 2008, spending three of his 10 NFL seasons with the Dolphins.

Hill also coached in Miami as assistant defensive backs coach in 2018 before Fangio first brought him to Denver in 2019.

Before that first stint coaching with the Dolphins, Hill was Pittsburgh Steelers defensive backs coach from 2015 to 2017. After retiring from the NFL following the 2010 season, the Michigan State grad also spent two years as a college assistant coach at Wyoming.

Hiring Hill fills one of the vacancies on the defensive side of the coaching staff as the Dolphins parted ways with former safeties coach Steve Gregory, as announced the same day former defensive coordinator Josh Boyer was fired.

Miami also has known openings at outside linebackers coach and assistant linebackers coach after letting go of Ty McKenzie and Steve Ferentz, respectively.

Defensive line coach Austin Clark, linebackers coach Anthony Campanile and cornerbacks coach appear to be returning to Miami’s coaching staff. Fangio called his early impressions of them “great” Monday.

“By all reports and everything I know, they’re great coaches,” Fangio said. “And that’s why Mike [McDaniel] kept them on, and I’m looking forward to working with them.”

The Chargers plan to promote Derrick Ansley to defensive coordinator and Tommy Donatell to secondary coach/pass-game coordinator, according to the NFL Network. The Dolphins reportedly requested to interview Donatell more than a week ago.