The Green Bay Packers brought defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley to fix their underachieving defense a couple of years ago. Even back then, they knew that, his being a former head coach in college, Hafley would probably be the main guy again at some point in the near future. Unfortunately, that time might be now.
The Packers' defensive coordinator has been tied to multiple head coaching positions ever since the offseason began. That's the only downside of surrounding head coach Matt LaFleur with good assistants. And, according to Packers insider Jason B. Hirschhorn of The Leap, it seems like Hafley could be heading to the AFC East pretty soon.
Dolphins Could Poach Jeff Hafley from Packers
"The Dolphins, who hired Packers executive Jon-Eric Sullivan as GM, have requested current and former Packers assistants Jeff Hafley and Anthony Campanile for head-coach interviews," Hirschhorn reported on Wednesday. "That's a strong signal as to where the Dolphins organization is headed."
The Dolphins moved on from general manager Chris Grier and HC Mike McDaniel once their season ended. Now, they may want to build the South Beach affiliate of the Packers. The ties are obvious, and Hafley isn't likely to turn down a chance to run his own team, much less if it comes with the support of an executive who's already more than familiar with him.
Also, the Dolphins might not have the most appealing head coaching opening right now. As such, they probably won't get the John Harbaughs or Kevin Stefanskis, thus leaving first-time NFL head coaches like Hafley as more realistic destinations.
The Dolphins' defense used to be one of the best in the game when Brian Flores was there. Then, it regressed tremendously under McDaniel's tutelage, and with all the uncertainty regarding the quarterback situation and Tyreek Hill's future, they might feel like going back to being a defensive-minded team might be the best path back to playoff contention.
It goes without saying that losing someone like Hafley would be a massive blow to LaFleur's coaching staff. He was the one who finally made the most of the plethora of talent they had at their disposal after years of underperforming under Joe Barry.
Also, it's hard to think of a suitabel replacement at this point in the offseason. Even if multiple coaches would love to get the chance to coach Micah Parsons, all the top guys might be gone by the time the Dolphins sign Hafley as their next head coach, making it interesting to see who'll be running the Packers' defense once Week 1 rolls around.