The Miami Dolphins will have at least one holdover from Mike McDaniel’s coaching staff as it appears Bobby Slowik will be added to Jeff Hafley’s staff, named as his first offensive coordinator.
Slowik and Hafley have history together from the two seasons they spent together on the San Francisco 49ers coaching staff in 2017 and 2018. Those two seasons must have left a lasting impression on Hafley, the Dolphins’ newly appointed head coach.
Slowik, who joined the Dolphins last season, serving as Miami’s passing game coordinator, has been an NFL assistant for 13 seasons, and will be an offensive coordinator for the second time in his coaching career.
Slowik previously spent the 2023-24 seasons as the Houston Texans’ offensive coordinator, but got fired after the 2024 because of the regression the Texans offense had in C.J. Stroud’s second season.
Last season the Dolphins offense, which was called by McDaniel, and coordinator by Frank Smith, ranked 26th in yards gained per game (300.7 yards), 25th passing (185.5 yards per game) and 25th in scoring, putting up 20.4 points per game.
All three of those rankings were the worst of the four years McDaniel ran the Dolphins, and it doesn’t help that a consistent complaint about last year’s offense was receiver unit’s inability to know their assignments, and run the routes properly.
In his two seasons running the Texans offense, Houston ranked 12th in yards and 14th in points in 2023, and 22nd in yards and 19th in points in 2024.
Slowik will have a tough task ahead of him considering the Dolphins are shopping for an upgrade on Tua Tagovailoa, who was benched late in the season after his throwing arm lost velocity, and it was apparent that those struggles chipped away at his confidence.
Quinn Ewers, a rookie quarterback selected in the seventh-round of the 2025 draft, started the Dolphins final three games, but the former Texas standout hasn’t proven he’s a reliable NFL starter.
Coaching has been in the Slowik family for generations. His father Bob served as the defensive coordinator for the Denver Broncos, Green Bay Packers, Cleveland Browns, Chicago Bears and Montreal Alouettes in the NFL. His brother, Ryan, has worked in Miami on the defensive side since 2022. He most recently served as Miami’s defensive backs coach. Slowik’s other brother Steve is a pro scout for the San Francisco 49ers.
After Friday’s hiring of former Buffalo Bills special teams coach Chris Taber as Miami’s special teams coordinator, the Dolphins now have zoned in their offensive and defensive coordinators.
The Dolphins have interviewed Philadelphia Eagles defensive line coach Clint Hurtt for the defensive coordinator position. A former defensive tackle at the University of Miami, Hurtt spent two seasons as defensive coordinator for the Seattle Seahawks (2022-23) before working for the Eagles the past two seasons.
Hurtt was part of the Super Bowl-winning staff for the Eagles in the 2024 season.
Hurtt was also with the Chicago Bears from 2014-16 in the same capacity. He does not have a prior working relationship with new head coach Jeff Hafley.
The only other offensive coordinator candidates that has been reported to interview with Miami was Houston Texans QB coach Jerrod Johnson for the coordinator position.
This story was originally published January 24, 2026 at 5:16 PM.
