Jeff Hafley had a tug-of-war with his old boss over one assistant for a spot on his Dolphins staff — and won
“I think he’s a rising star.” — Jeff Hafley
Jeff Hafley had one man he needed to have by his side when he left Boston College to coach defense for the Green Bay Packers. It’s the same man he needed to have when he left the Packers to coach the Miami Dolphins.
New Dolphins defensive coordinator Sean Duggan has followed Hafley everywhere since 2019, when he was a grad assistant at Ohio State for Hafley, then the co-defensive coordinator of the Buckeyes. Columbus to Chestnut Hill to Green Bay to South Florida. But this latest pairing, as Hafley revealed today, almost didn’t happen. He needed to undertake (and win) a tug-of-war with his old boss in Green Bay, Matt LaFleur, to get it to come together.
Jeff Hafley won a tug-of-war battle with Matt LaFleur over new defensive coordinator Sean Duggan
“When I got the Packers job, I told Matt (LaFleur), there’s one guy I have to have, and out of all the guys, I said it was Sean (Duggan). At first, he was like, ‘One guy and you want Sean?’ ‘Yeah, you’ll quickly understand why.’ So, Matt lets me hire Sean; he was in a lesser role, he wasn’t a position coach, but quickly Matt saw it. It was easy to see….Then he’s the linebacker coach (in Green Bay), I get this job and there was a time Matt was like, ‘I’m keeping Sean.’ I was like, ‘No, Sean’s coming with me.’ Ultimately we decided that it was best for Sean to come here. I say that not because he’s been with me for eight or nine years, whatever it’s been, I say that because I think he’s a rising star and he’s going to allow me to be the head coach of this team. It’s not just going to be ‘Jeff’s over with the defense; Jeff’s the defensive coach.’ No, I’m going to be able to touch all three phases because of how good this guy is, and he’s going to allow me to be the head coach and then when it’s time for me to call the defense, I’ll be able to call the defense.”
— Dolphins head coach Jeff Hafley on how defensive coordinator Sean Duggan landed in Miami
Hafley got his guy. And it will be fascinating to see how Duggan’s now lofty reputation under Hafley is manifested. He’s hit the jackpot in one regard — his background as a linebackers coach will be bolstered by 2025 First-Team All-Pro linebacker Jordyn Brooks. That man will make just about anyone look good if he plays the way he did this past season. But Duggan’s ability to commandeer and steer the defense while Hafley tries to stay connected with his entire team will be an essential piece of the puzzle. With how Hafley has not only talked about his right hand man but also went to bat for him to be here, seeing that come to life will be a fascinating sub-plot to this Dolphins build.
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