The Miami Dolphins‘ head coaching search is nearing the completion of the first week. The Dolphins have submitted requests for or completed nearly 10 interviews for the position — with Packers defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley in the building today, while former Cleveland Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski was in-house for an interview yesterday. We’ve been keeping tabs on WHO Miami is exploring. But which of those candidates is the best fit for what the Dolphins need to work alongside new general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan?

Here’s a list of candidate I would consider to be the most attractive fits in Miami for 2026 and beyond.

Top-10 Miami Dolphins head coach candidate hot board

10. Kelvin Sheppard, Detroit Lions Defensive Coordinator

A former player in Miami under Joe Philbin and Dan Campbell, who has gone on to become a hot name on Campbell’s staff in Detroit. It’s a fun story and you can be assured of one thing — the Dan Campbell culture is alive and well with this one. But Sheppard has just one year of experience as the defensive coordinator in Detroit after taking the role from Aaron Glenn. He’s young. This is probably a few years too early for Sheppard to actually land the gig.

9. Chris Shula, Los Angeles Rams Defensive Coordinator

Shula is the grandson of Miami Dolphins legend (and coaching GOAT) Don Shula. He’s served as Sean McVay’s defensive coordinator for the last two seasons after working his way up through the coaching ranks. One thing to respect about Shula is he didn’t take the easy path to the NFL; he was a grad assistant at Indiana and the defensive coordinator at D-III John Carroll before making the leap.

He’s a part of a program that is as good at player development as anyone — which figures to be a big point of emphasis for Miami under Jon-Eric Sullivan. He’s well suited for the job and comes with obvious coaching staff connections to help his offense from underneath McVay. But, to weigh it all equally, there are guys who did more with less on this list as defensive coordinators in 2025 and Shula also comes with the unique weight of his family legacy in Miami. Do he (and the Dolphins) view that weight as a good thing, a bad thing, or both?

8. Jesse Minter, Los Angeles Chargers Defensive Coordinator

There’s some obvious connections to team owner Stephen Ross worth mentioning here. Minter spent time in Baltimore under John Harbaugh, left for Michigan (Ross’ alma mater) to serve as the defensive coordinator under Jim Harbaugh, and then followed Jim to the Chargers to be his defensive coordinator. We all know that Stephen Ross loves himself a good Michigan connection.

But Ross has voices in the room for this hire and I admire the man knowing what he does and doesn’t know after all these years of trying to get it right as an owner. Minter has a good scheme, a well-performing defense, is young, and has coached under both Harbaughs. The pedigree is good. What’s the offensive staff look like? That’s the big question I have for Minter.

7. Klint Kubiak, Seattle Seahawks Offensive Coordinator

You don’t need to worry about offensive stability with your staff if you hire an offensive play caller as your next head coach. Hello, Klint Kubiak. Kubiak is the hottest name on the offensive coordinator circuit thanks to a strong year in Seattle with the Seahawks. Seattle plays heavy personnel packages, is not afraid to stay methodical with the run to mitigate negative third downs, and has gotten a monster season out of QB Sam Darnold and WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba.

He’s the son of Gary Kubiak, who coached the Broncos to a Super Bowl title in 2015. Klint appears in line for a job but he’s young and inexperienced. He’s 38 years old with three years of offensive coordinator experience on his resume — so this hire could come with some growing pains.

6. Kevin Stefanski, Former Cleveland Browns Head Coach

The two-time AP Coach of the Year in Cleveland would be a safe pick from a “experience” standpoint. He coaches six seasons with the Browns and won 11 games twice. His entire career in Cleveland was spent in ‘Quarterback Wilderness’, too. Would he be okay potentially joining a team that’s set to live there in 2026 (barring a free agent signing or trade?). Stefanski interviewed with the Dolphins on Tuesday and it would be hard to get too upset about the idea of him at the help given his experience and the hope you can provide a healthier chance for success than what the Browns gave him when they traded all their picks and gave all their money to Deshaun Watson.

5. Jeff Hafley, Green Bay Packers Defensive Coordinator

Hafley is an odds-on favorite for the position for a few reasons — he’s got the obvious connection to Jon-Eric Sullivan from the last two years in Green Bay, he’s got head coaching experience (in college), and he’s a “teacher”. Hafley left college when the teaching element of the job faded in favor of the the transfer portal and fundraising efforts.

He’s got a good scheme. He’s a smart, well-regulated coach. It would feel like a safe hire to ensure you’re in lock-step with the general manager of the assessment and needs of the roster. Organizational alignment is a big “must” to get a build right, after all.

4. Robert Saleh, San Francisco 49ers Defensive Coordinator

Saleh checks a lot of boxes that would be something “different” for Miami. He’s been a head coach before, although not a particularly successful one in New York with the Jets. To be fair to Saleh, tell me the last person in any role you can remember that was better in New York than they were elsewhere? Saleh brings intensity, is an accountable players coach, has a great scheme and has reminded how well he can milk production out of a roster with the way his defense has played this season without Nick Bosa and Fred Warner — his two best defenders.

Saleh needs to have good answers in his interview about who is on his offensive staff and the Dolphins need to ensure they hit on a quarterback somewhere between 2026 and 2027 if this is the play. But if you want a tough, accountable football team and think coaches can apply lessons from their past mistakes, Saleh is one of my favorite possible fits for the culture. And don’t sleep on his connection to Sullivan in the front office, either. Saleh served as a consultant in Green Bay in 2024 after being dismissed by the Jets.

3. Mike Tomlin, Former Pittsburgh Steelers Head Coach

Welcome to the “Big-Fish” section of the board. Coaches with proven track records and winning pedigrees go straight to the top of the charts — I don’t make the rules, sorry! Tomlin is a long-shot, as he’s reported to be out of coaching all together this season. But how do you not make the phone call if you’re the Dolphins, who already passed on Mike Tomlin once…back when he was first hired to Pittsburgh in 2007. Whoops!

Tomlin has drawn criticism for conservative game management and the plateaus of his football team in recent years. But his “lows” would be ones that many teams would sign themselves up for to be playoff relevant on an annual basis. What would his offense look like in Miami? These are some of the elements that prevent Tomlin from sitting higher on this list. One thing I know for certain? Tomlin is the best “player relations” coach in the league — and Miami would likely benefit greatly from having that if they could pull off the miracle.

2. John Harbaugh, Former Baltimore Ravens Head Coach

The problem with Harbaugh is that it doesn’t sound like the Dolphins have several things he’s aspiring to have with his next team. The momentum continues to build towards him whittling his candidate pool down and Miami appears to be on the fringe of contention. It’s not looking good.

Nevertheless, from the Dolphins’ perspective, he’s a well-respected, highly successful head coach with nearly two decades of experience. He’d bring stability to an organization that’s been desperate for some for a while. I think Harbaugh is a no-brainer candidate for the Dolphins. I do not believe that the Dolphins are a no-brainer fit for John Harbaugh.

Don’t hold your breath on this one, Dolphins fans.

1. Matt LaFleur, Green Bay Packers Head Coach*

I would actually venture to say that Miami has a better chance of landing Matt LaFleur from the Green Bay Packers than they do securing John Harbaugh at this point. With LaFleur’s connection to new Dolphins general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan, there’s a lot of preexisting trust; which is a major plus. LaFleur is under contract for Green Bay in 2026 and would need to be traded for if the Dolphins secured his services — easier said than done. But there continues to be smoke out that all is not quite well in Green Bay; leaving the door open for this conversation for now.

It’s currently “in” to hate on LaFleur but he’s 46 years old with a better career win percentage than Bill Belichick. And he’s done it across multiple quarterbacks, developing a young quarterback, and with one of the youngest rosters in football the last few years.

If you want a continuation of the scheme you ran under Mike McDaniel to go with a head coach who has proven to be successful with one of the best programs in the sport? LaFleur can serve an extension of scheme with a major upgrade in the way of proven production, consistency, and success at head coach.

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Kyle Crabbs