The Miami Dolphins have been busy reshaping their coaching staff this offseason, and they're doing it with a noticeable Green Bay Packers flavor. The latest move?
Sean Duggan, who coached linebackers in Green Bay and previously served as co-defensive coordinator under Jeff Hafley at Boston College, is reuniting with Hafley in Miami. Duggan will take on the role of non-play-calling defensive coordinator, while Hafley, now the Dolphins’ head coach, is expected to handle play-calling duties from the sideline.
That’s a notable shift for Hafley, who previously called plays from the booth during his time with the Packers. Now, he’ll be more hands-on from field level, managing both head coaching responsibilities and defensive play-calling-a balancing act that not many attempt, let alone pull off successfully.
Duggan wasn’t the only name in the mix for the Dolphins’ DC role. Tem Lukabu, now with the Jacksonville Jaguars as their linebackers coach, was also considered a strong candidate.
Lukabu and Hafley go way back-he was Hafley’s first defensive coordinator at Boston College, holding that title from 2020 to 2022. When Lukabu made the leap to the NFL in 2023, Duggan stepped in and shared the coordinator duties with Aazaar Abdul-Rahim.
Abdul-Rahim, for his part, is now co-defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach at Maryland.
So what does all this mean for the Packers? Well, they’ve seen a significant coaching exodus this offseason, particularly to Miami. Here's a quick rundown of the movement:
- Sean Duggan (linebackers coach) → now Miami’s defensive coordinator
- Ryan Downard (defensive backs coach) → now Miami’s secondary coach
- Nathaniel Hackett (defensive analyst) → now Miami’s quarterbacks coach
- Wendel Davis (defensive quality control coach) → also headed to Miami
- Sean Mannion (quarterbacks coach) → now the Eagles’ offensive coordinator
- Derrick Ansley (pass game coordinator) → joined the Cowboys
That’s a lot of brainpower and experience walking out the door. But Green Bay hasn’t just been sitting back-they’ve made some key hires of their own to rebuild and retool their staff.
- Jonathan Gannon, the former Arizona Cardinals head coach, is stepping in as the Packers’ new defensive coordinator. That’s a big swing, and if Gannon can bring the same defensive edge he showed in prior stops, it could pay off in a big way.
- Sam Siefkes, who coordinated the defense at Virginia Tech, is taking over as linebackers coach.
- Bobby Babich, previously the Bills’ defensive coordinator, has been brought in to oversee the pass game and secondary.
So while Miami is stacking up familiar faces from Green Bay, the Packers are building a new-look coaching staff with proven experience and fresh ideas. It’s the classic NFL coaching carousel-fast-moving, ever-changing, and always strategic.
What’s clear is that Jeff Hafley is putting his stamp on the Dolphins early, surrounding himself with coaches he trusts and who understand his defensive philosophy. Duggan fits that mold perfectly. And in Green Bay, the focus now shifts to how this revamped staff can keep the team competitive amidst all the change.