Just when you thought the Dolphins’ coaching shifts were complete, the football gods have thrown another curve ball at Miami. Late last week, the Dolphins formally announced the changes to their coaching staff — seemingly settling the deck once and for all after a surprisingly busy January for the team on the hiring (and firing) front.
They’ll need to pivot at least once more.
According to multiple sources, including NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Miami Dolphins assistant head coach and wide receivers coach Karl Dorrell is on the cusp of signing on to become the head coach of the Colorado Buffaloes.
#Dolphins WRs coach and assistant head coach Karl Dorrell is getting the job of University of Colorado head coach, sources say. Miami loses an assistant but Dorrell gets to be a head coach again. @PeteThamel reported he was a favorite.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) February 22, 2020
Colorado saw their own head coach, Mel Tucker, pull the plug on his tenure with the Buffaloes after just one season in favor of coaching at Michigan State. It’s the latest coaching domino that’s gone on to impact the Dolphins significantly — the other big development being New York’s firing of Pat Shurmur, which then in turn led to Patriots assistant Joe Judge taking the job and pulling several assistants away from Miami’s staff.
The most painful part of Dorrell’s potential departure is that he was set to step into the shoes vacated by veteran coach Jim Caldwell as the team’s assistant head coach. Caldwell, of course, took a leave of absence in 2019 and Flores coaches the season without an assistant head man.
He’s now facing the prospect of doing so once again — unless he’s able to target and assign a new one this late in the process. Regardless, the Dolphins will need to hire a new wide receivers coach. The Dolphins have talent at the position but will need to make sure whoever gets the call is capable of maintaining the positive momentum the group built throughout 2019 under Dorrell’s watch.
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