Less than 24 hours after Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores told the South Florida media that he expects to retain his entire coaching staff, the team announced a pretty massive change for the upcoming offseason and 2021 year — veteran offensive coordinator Chan Gailey has resigned and will no longer serve on the Dolphins’ staff. This move comes on the heels of a lot of dissatisfaction in how Gailey seemed to mesh with his rookie quarterback, Tua Tagovailoa, in 2020 — the Dolphins offense felt deliberate at times to protect Tagovailoa from throwing the ball on too many reps or playing with a lot of tempo to cater to Tagovailoa’s strengths.
Dolphins offensive coordinator Chan Gailey has resigned.
— Armando Salguero (@ArmandoSalguero) January 6, 2021
Making the timing of this move even more odd is on Monday, ESPN was duped by a fake Adam Schefter account into posting a story that Gailey was been relieved of his duties — so in a span of 48 hours we’ve seen Gailey erroneously reported to be fired, that story recanted, Brian Flores inform that he expects his full staff back and now this morning a legitimate resignation from Gailey.
This is a slippery slope for Miami to be cautious with in the sense that the team has a young quarterback coming off of his first NFL season and the team will now be welcoming their third offensive playcaller into the mix in the last three seasons. Brian Flores will need to identify an offensive coordinator who can hold the job for several seasons and allow for some continuity with his offense year over year — there’s always a dynamic of the team having to take a step back when installing a new playbook. And, once again, that is where the Dolphins find themselves in the immediate aftermath of the season.
Gailey will presumably return to retirement after a hiatus of several seasons prior to his return to coaching in Miami. And the Dolphins will look to find the perfect marriage for their young offense and franchise quarterback.