The Miami Dolphins will officially have two brand new coordinators for the 2020 NFL season. It didn’t take long after the news was announced that the New York Giants were interested in interviewing Miami’s Patrick Graham for their vacant defensive coordinator for the other shoe to drop.
Graham is officially on his way to New York — and will leave the Dolphins with another prominent fresh face among the coaching staff. On the surface, losing Graham doesn’t seem to be a crippling blow for the Dolphins. Miami’s defense wasn’t highly coveted in any categories, which of course can also be directed at Miami’s lack of talent on their overall roster.
The #Giants are hiring Patrick Graham as their defensive coordinator, source said.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) January 12, 2020
But one thing the league sees each and every year is that the Patriots’ coaching fraternity brings loyalty — most likely because these coaches know what they’re signing up for when heading to another Patriots’ disciple. Once the Giants announced they were hiring former Patriots special teams coordinator Joe Judge to their head coaching vacancy, the door was open for a change.
What makes Graham’s departure curious is that this is, at least on the surface for Graham, a lateral move — he’s taking the same position in the Giants that he had in New York, so why make a change. It’s hard to say, and it doesn’t seem like something we’ll get a ton of clarity on in the short-term. But what we do know is that Brian Flores’ presence likely meant his fingerprints were all over Miami’s defensive game plans — perhaps Graham felt New York was an opportunity that provided more power and say in how his defense prepares each week.
Miami is expected to elevate defensive backs coach Josh Boyer to take Graham’s place on staff.
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