Dolphins plan to interview special teams coordinator Darren Rizzi.

Interview on tap for veteran special teams coordinator

The Miami Dolphins will add a familiar name into their head coaching search this offseason.

Longtime special teams coordinator and associate head coach Darren Rizzi will interview for the Dolphins head coaching job, according to a league source. Rizzi will join the mix of five NFL assistant coaches whom the Dolphins have already requested permission to interview.

The Dolphins fired Adam Gase on Monday after three seasons.

Chicago Bears defensive coordinator Vic Fangio is reportedly scheduled to meet with the Dolphins and Denver Broncos next Monday. The Dolphins also plan to interview New England Patriots defensive coordinator Brian Flores, Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy, Pittsburgh Steelers offensive line coach Mike Munchak and Dallas Cowboys secondary coach Kris Richards.

Rizzi does not have head coaching experience in the NFL but is one of the team’s most respected coaches among players. He would regularly lead team meetings in his role.

And Rizzi would gladly welcome the opportunity to become a head coach if one was made available to him.

“As I look forward in my personal career, it’s something that I want to do again down the road: be a head coach again,” Rizzi said earlier this season when asked about the topic.

“I think the role I have here on this football team is preparing me to be a head coach because I deal with the players every day. I deal with the gamemanagement part of the game. I’m very fortunate that Adam gives me that role.

“It’s really helping my personal resume in terms of learning on the job and dealing with the management, the game management, the time management. All of that stuff is really preparing me. I think when that opportunity presents itself, I’ll be very well prepared and ready to go.”

If the Dolphins are adamant about revamping their roster in the hope of achieving sustained success in the future, Rizzi could be a prime candidate to lead the Dolphins through a rebuild.

He has been with the Dolphins since 2009 and has served in his current role for the past eight seasons. In addition to Gase, Rizzi has worked under Dan Campbell, Joe Philbin and the late Tony Sparano with the Dolphins.

The Dolphins are one of eight NFL teams looking for a head coach, along with the Cincinnati Bengals, Broncos, Cleveland Browns, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Arizona Cardinals, New York Jets and Green Bay Packers.

Rizzi has also entertained offers from prospective college positions in recent years before ultimately staying with the Dolphins.

Rizzi had four years head coaching experience in college, leading the University of New Haven to a 15-14 record from 1999-2001 and the University of Rhode Island to a 3-9 record in 2008. He served as an assistant at Rutgers from 2002-07.

The last special teams coordinator to become a head coach was Ravens coach John Harbaugh, who is widely respected as one of the best coaches in the NFL. Former Pittsburgh Steelers coach Bill Cowher and New England coach Bill Belichick also worked their way up the NFL ladder after being special teams coordinators.

Rizzi believes his experience as a special teams coach is adequate preparation for a head coaching job in the NFL.

“Special teams coaches may be as well prepared as anybody to run a football team,” Rizzi said earlier this season regarding the matter. “You’re the only guy in the building that’s really dealing with the entire football team. You’re coaching everybody. You’re dealing with situations and game management, those types of things.

“I think there are a lot of qualified special teams coaches right now in the league that would be terrific head coaches. It’s not the norm, if you will, [to hire a special teams coordinator]. There’s a lot of times where guys want to win the press conference and maybe get the sexiest name out there that is maybe a play-caller or something like that.

“[But] a lot of the times when you kind of dive into it, a special teams coach could be the best option. Obviously, I’m a little bit biased toward it.”