Flores appoints 5 new assistants
Coach hopes additions to coaching staff bring his vision to fruition
MOBILE, Ala. — Brian Flores’ first season as Miami Dolphins coach ended with a stunning road victory over the New England Patriots to reach five wins and earn the No. 5 draft pick in the NFL draft in April.
Flores’ second offseason quickly began with a rebuild within the franchise’s rebuild.
The Dolphins announced the addition of five new assistant coaches to Flores’ staff on Monday before they get to work during the most significant offseason in team history during the Senior Bowl this week.
Instead of building on his five-win season with a number of assistants he used to work with in New England, Flores will welcome a new set of coaches to his staff with the hope of quickly building chemistry within the coaching staff and players on the team.
The Dolphins will also have to install a new offense for the second consecutive season with Flores bringing longtime NFL assistant Chan Gailey out of retirement to be his new offensive coordinator.
Ultimately, the Dolphins offense — which improved toward the end of last season but struggled significantly in the running game — did not meet Flores’ vision during his first season as coach.
“At the end of the day, I feel like for the future of this team, my vision for us offensively, I feel like it’s a move we have to make,” Flores said of hiring Gailey, who replaced former coordinator Chad O’Shea.
Gailey has plenty of NFL experience as an assistant and a head coach, and has worked with a number of quarterbacks throughout his career, including current Dolphins starter Ryan Fitzpatrick.
Flores loves Gailey’s ability to make ingame adjustments, an attribute Flores saw first-hand while calling defenses against him. Flores believes Gailey is a great teacher, innovator, puts players in position to play well and can get the most potential out of his players.
“I have a lot of confidence in him, and I think he’ll help us,” Flores said of Gailey.
Gailey reunites with new quarterbacks coach Roddy Brown and offensive line coach Steve Marshall and incumbent receiving coach Karl Dorrell after they previously worked together with Fitzpatrick when they were all with the New York Jets from 2015-17.
On defense — Flores’ specialty — he promoted defensive backs coach Josh Boyer to defensive coordinator to keep some of the unit’s continuity gained last season.
“We see things through the same lens,” Flores said of Boyer, who he worked with while coaching the Patriots secondary.
While defensive line coach Marion Hobby and linebackers coach Rob Leonard are still on the staff, Flores hired two coaches with significant college experience and a former high school head coach.
New outside linebackers coach Austin Clark was hired away from Illinois. New assistant defensive backs coach Curt Kuntz spent the past seven years as head coach at Struthers High School in Ohio. Another defensive assistant Anthony Campanile, a hire yet to be officially announced by the Dolphins, coached linebackers at Michigan.
Flores believes there are great coaches at every level in football, and does not agree with the notion that coaches need prior experience in the league and college to coach in the NFL.
Special teams coordinator Danny Crossman, running back coach Eric Studesville and tight end coach George Godsey were retained by Flores.
The Dolphins parted ways with O’Shea (now with the Cleveland Browns), defensive coordinator Patrick Graham (who took the same role with the New York Giants), assistant quarterbacks coach Jerry Schuplinski (who will be quarterbacks coach with the Giants), offensive line coach Dave DeGugeliemo (who will take the same role with the Giants), and former safeties coach Tony Oden.
Former quarterback coach Jim Caldwell, who was a consultant after taking medical leave before last season, has also moved on.
Before the 2020 season begins, the Dolphins will work to build their roster through the draft and free agency this offseason.
The Dolphins own 14 draft picks in 2020, including three in the first round and two in the second round, where they could ultimately draft their potential franchise quarterback among other significant contributors to execute Miami’s rebuilding effort.
Flores and his new coaching staff must also work quickly to foster cohesion and build continuity to make further strides during his second season leading the Dolphins.
“I think there’s a lot of guys who know how to teach. … I think the staff has to do a good job from a communication standpoint. The guys that we brought in, they’re good communicators,” Flores said.
“Just in the first handful of days, couple of weeks that we have been together, you can see that guys are willing to ask questions and talk about various fronts, coverages, kicking game situations. I think at the end of the day, it’s a group that will work tirelessly to get on the same page. That’s of the utmost importance.”