Tag: Miami Dolphins

Dolphins’ Chop Robinson: Bills’ Dion Dawkins gave him ‘welcome’ to the NFL (video)

Dolphins’ Chop Robinson: Bills’ Dion Dawkins gave him ‘welcome’ to the NFL (video)

Dion Dawkins gave at least one rookie their “welcome to the NFL” moment in 2024: The Dolphins’ Chop Robinson.

Robinson was a first-round pick of the Dolphins and his team’s second game of his rookie year came against the Bills… and Dawkins.

Robinson, speaking to The Athletic’s Dianna Russini, noted Dawkins as the player that really showed him he’s a professional football player in Year 1.

Robinson praised Dawkins, saying his skill impressed him.

Robinson’s full comments on Dawkins can be found in the clip below:

Report: Panthers adding former Chargers DC to coaching staff

Reports say the Panthers are hiring former Chargers DC Renaldo Hill to their coaching staff.

The Carolina Panthers have seemingly reached another deal with a new coach on Wednesday.

As first reported by Joe Person of The Athletic, the team is planning on hiring former Los Angeles Chargers defensive coordinator Renaldo Hill to their defensive coaching staff. This follows an earlier report, first noted by Mike Kaye of The Charlotte Observer, that the Panthers are also adding AC Carter as their new outside linebackers coach.

Per Person, Hill’s exact title has yet to be finalized. Given his experience as a defensive backs coach, the former safety is likely to overtake duties for the secondary—an area left vacant by the dismissal of now-former secondary coach Bert Watts.

Hill played 10 NFL seasons before transitioning to the sidelines starting in 2012, when he joined the University of Wyoming as a graduate assistant. He’d later serve as a cornerbacks coach for the program in 2013, then move on to the University of Pittsburgh as their defensive backs coach from 2015 to 2017.

His first NFL coaching job came in 2018, as an assistant defensive backs coach for the Miami Dolphins. Hill went on to pick up stints as the defensive backs coach of the Denver Broncos (2019 to 2020), defensive coordinator of the Los Angeles Chargers (2021 to 2022) and the passing game coordinator/defensive backs coach back in Miami (2023).

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Chargers pegged as potential landing spot for top free agent safety

The Chargers defense could get even better this offseason as they could be a top suitor for Dolphins star safety Jevon Holland.

The Chargers defense, in the first year under coordinator Jesse Minter, took a massive step forward in 2024. In fact, they were the best scoring defense in the regular season.

As one can presume, most of the team’s needs come on the offensive side of the ball this offseason. Pro Football Focus has different ideas though in the form of making the defense even stronger.

Mason Cameron touts the Chargers as a top potential suitor for one of the best free agents this offseason in the form of Jevon Holland, who has spent the first four seasons of his career with the Dolphins.

The Chargers also face the difficult task of replacing key secondary players, set to lose five of their top 10 snap contributors. With Derwin James’ success acting as the primary slot defender in 2024, Los Angeles may look to shore up a back end that will be left rather barren, with Alohi Gilman being the only other safety under contract.

Holland, who just finished up his rookie deal, has established himself as one of the best safeties in the league. The Chargers have Derwin James, considered arguably the best safety in the NFL, but as Cameron points out, he was used all over the field this past season.

Back in 2021, it should be noted that the Chargers did meet with Holland ahead of the NFL draft. Unfortunately, he didn’t make it to the Chargers in the second round as they settled for cornerback Asante Samuel Jr. 11 picks later instead.

Holland went to college with quarterback Justin Herbert as well at Oregon. His play took a bit of a step back in 2024, particularly in coverage. Holland failed to snag an interception for the first time in his career and forced just one forced fumble in addition to four pass deflections on the season.

Similar to James, the star safety is stellar in the run game though. Assuming he can return to his 2022 and 2023 form, Holland is a playmaker all over the field.

Somehow, he has still yet to make a Pro Bowl in his young career. There’s no doubt that he’s that kind of a player though, so he will demand a rather large contract. With a guy like Joey Bosa possibly becoming a cap casualty, the Chargers could have plenty of money to spend this offseason.

PFF projects Vikings will land one of NFL’s top free agents

With the Minnesota Vikings possibly needing to replace virtually all of their defensive backfield, could they make a splash in free agency?

A lot has been made of the situation the Minnesota Vikings find themselves in with regard to the state of their defensive backfield. Minnesota didn’t always get the most consistent play from their defensive backs last season, despite the play of Pro Bowl cornerback Byron Murphy Jr.

What’s more, the Vikings are heading into the 2025 NFL offseason facing the prospect of having only do-it-all defensive back Josh Metellus under contract for next season. Minnesota is going to need to figure out a potentially completely new defensive back field next season. Thankfully, they have plenty of cap space to work with.

What the Vikings are going to do with that cap space remains to be seen, but with limited capital in the NFL Draft, they figure to be active players in the free agent market.

The team at PFF recently began releasing their look at the 2025 NFL free agent class and some potential landing spots for their top free agents, and they’ve listed Minnesota as one of their landing spots for a top-3 free agent, former Miami Dolphins safety Jevon Holland.

Holland was drafted in the second round out of Oregon by the Miami Dolphins in the 2021 NFL Draft and has been a key contributor to their secondary ever since. Holland has played all over the field in the Dolphins’ defensive scheme, coming down with five interceptions, five sacks, and over 300 tackles in his four years with the team.

However, Holland struggled in 2024 and has seemingly fallen out of favor with both the Dolphins’ coaching staff and their fans, making a return to Miami unlikely. While Holland came in as just the 89th out of 170 safeties last season according to PFF, and 109th in coverage, the Vikings may hope a reunion with defensive coordinator Brian Flores could revitalize Holland.

Holland spent his rookie season working with Flores during the latter’s final season as the Dolphins head coach. That season, Holland turned in a defensive PFF grade of 84.7 and a coverage grade of 87.7 (versus just 63.0 and 57.1, respectively, this past season).

Holland ranks as PFF’s third-best potential free agent in this class, and the Vikings likely have the money to land him if they’re looking to make a big splash in free agency. Pairing Holland with a potential return of Camryn Bynum could give the Vikings one of the best safety duos in the league for years to come.

Raiders first assistant interview is former Pete Carroll coordinator with Seahawks

Pete Carroll’s first call as Raiders head coach went to very a familiar face.

Barely a day has passed since Pete Carroll was introduced as the Raiders new head coach. And he is wasting no time putting his staff together. The first interview was held on Tuesday and it’s someone Carroll knows extremely well — Darrell Bevell.

Bevell was Carroll’s OC in Seattle for seven seasons from 2011-17. In total Bevell has a total of 15 seasons as an NFL offensive coordinator. He has been the QB coach and passing game coordinator in Miami the past three seasons.

Carroll said Monday that he wants a mixture of coaches who have worked with him, who have not worked with him, and coaches on staff. But those who have coached with him before is is priority.

“We’re in the midst of getting started,” Carroll said Monday of the coaching search. “Like John [Spytek] and I, we’re just getting started at it. However, we have been talking to some people and we’re trying to put this thing together. I’m really looking for people that have been with me, that understand the philosophy to some extent.”

Bevell certainly fits that mold and you’d have to think he has an inside track on the job at this point.

Dolphins star discusses why Anthony Weaver deserves to be a head coach

Dolphins safety Jevon Holland has high praise for Saints head coach candidate Anthony Weaver: ‘He’s the type of individual that needs to be in that position’

Miami Dolphins safety Jevon Holland discussed a wide variety of topics on the “Breakin’ House Rules” podcast hosted by NFL Network’s Cameron Wolfe, but his commentary on Anthony Weaver stood out. The Dolphins defensive coordinator New Orleans Saints fans is a finalist in the team’s head coaching search, and few know him better than his own star players.

Holland had exceptionally high praise for Weaver, and even went as far as to call him “galvanizing,” saying a move to head coach would bring the best out of him. He was asked what he would say to people who are asking how Weaver would be as a head coach.

“I think Weav’ would be a galvanizing individual as a head coach,” Holland began. “I think he has the presence, the attitude, and the mindset to lead men. I think that’s the biggest thing as a head coach is you have to be a leader of men, and I think Weav’ has that through and through. Because he’s a great defensive coordinator and I think he does a great job, but him standing in front of the whole room trying to bring everybody together and into one direction, I think that is like … He’s the type of individual that needs to be in that position, I think that’s where he’ll thrive the most. So, 100%, I hope he gets a head coaching job, because it will definitely be fun to see the culture that he’ll establish.”

This is a very positive review from one of the best young safeties in the game, who has had a chance to learn under Weaver and develop into a phenomenal player. Most players will give positive reviews one way or another, but saying your coach will thrive in a new position at head coach is something very few would be willing to commit to. It is a huge testament to Weaver’s coaching style and his ability to, as Holland puts it, lead men.

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Updated 2025 NFL draft order heading into Super Bowl LIX

Spots No. 1 to No. 30 for the 2025 NFL draft order are now set.

The Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles have punched their tickets to New Orleans—where they’ll meet for what’ll surely be a must-see Super Bowl LIX.

They also punched some one-way tickets for their respective rivals, which’ll take both the Buffalo Bills and the Washington Commanders back home until next season.

So with the conference championships now settled, let’s take a look at the updated order for the 2025 NFL draft . . .

*SOS = strength of schedule
*Italicized teams are still in postseason play

  1. Tennessee Titans (3-14, .522 SOS)
  2. Cleveland Browns (3-14, .536 SOS)
  3. New York Giants (3-14, .554 SOS)
  4. New England Patriots (4-13, .471 SOS)
  5. Jacksonville Jaguars (4-13, .478 SOS)
  6. Las Vegas Raiders (4-13, .540 SOS)
  7. New York Jets (5-12, .495 SOS)
  8. Carolina Panthers (5-12, .498 SOS)
  9. New Orleans Saints (5-12, .505 SOS)
  10. Chicago Bears (5-12, .554 SOS)
  11. San Francisco 49ers (6-11, .564 SOS)
  12. Dallas Cowboys (7-10, .522 SOS)
  13. Miami Dolphins (8-9, .419 SOS)
  14. Indianapolis Colts (8-9, .457 SOS)
  15. Atlanta Falcons (8-9, .519 SOS)
  16. Arizona Cardinals (8-9, .536 SOS)
  17. Cincinnati Bengals (9-8, .478 SOS)
  18. Seattle Seahawks (10-7, .498 SOS)
  19. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (10-7, .502 SOS)
  20. Denver Broncos (10-7, .502 SOS)
  21. Pittsburgh Steelers (10-7, .502 SOS)
  22. Los Angeles Chargers (11-6, .467 SOS)
  23. Green Bay Packers (11-6, .533 SOS)
  24. Minnesota Vikings (14-3, .474 SOS)
  25. Houston Texans (10-7, .481 SOS)
  26. Los Angeles Rams (10-7, .505 SOS)
  27. Baltimore Ravens (12-5, .529 SOS)
  28. Detroit Lions (15-2, .519 SOS)
  29. Washington Commanders (12-5, .436 SOS)
  30. Buffalo Bills (13-4, .467 SOS)
  31. Philadelphia Eagles (14-3, .453 SOS)
  32. Kansas City Chiefs (15-2, .488 SOS)

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Report: Titans hiring Reggie McKenzie to key role in scouting department

The Tennessee Titans are reportedly hiring former Oakland Raiders GM Reggie McKenzie to a key role in the scouting department.

Hours after reports came out that the Tennessee Titans had moved to hire former Las Vegas Raiders general manager Dave Ziegler to be their assistant general manager, the team has apparently made another move in their front office. 


By adding Miami Dolphins executive Reggie McKenzie to a senior scouting position within the organization, they brought in another experienced personnel man into the front office in an attempt to change the culture in Nashville.

Most recently, McKenzie served as a senior personnel executive for the Dolphins and he brings a wealth of NFL experience to the organization. He started his NFL career with the Green Bay Packers in 1994 and stayed with the organization until 2011. In 2012, he was hired by Al Davis to be the general manager of the Oakland Raiders, where he stayed until 2018. After his time with the Raiders, he joined the Dolphins in 2019 and stayed through the 2024 season. 

Taking this job with the Titans is a homecoming of sorts. McKenzie is a Knoxville native and played linebacker at the University of Tennessee. He was a 10th-round draft choice of the Los Angeles Raiders in the 1985 NFL draft. 

The addition of McKenzie and Ziegler adds two respected personnel men to the front office to support Mike Borgonzi and Chad Brinker as they set out to rebuild the Titans roster. 

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Saints complete second interview with Dolphins DC Anthony Weaver

The New Orleans Saints announce they have completed a second interview with Miami Dolphins DC Anthony Weaver for their head coach opening.

We have completed an in person interview with Anthony Weaver for our head coach position. pic.twitter.com/Z4zc7ABoM4

— New Orleans Saints (@Saints) January 24, 2025

The New Orleans Saints have gotten past the snowy weather and are back to interviewing some head coach candidates announced they have completed their second interview with Miami Dolphins defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver.

Weaver has been a growing name in the coaching cycle for the last couple of years and will almost certainly get a job at some point in the near future. He does not look to be interviewing with the Dallas Cowboys, the only other opening, so the Saints will likely get to the choice to hire him if they so wish.

Hiring him would be an investment into culture. His defenses have had solid results, but the most glowing praise comes from his ability as a leader. With their interest in Mike Vrabel and Aaron Glenn earlier in this search, it would make sense for Weaver to be the choice.

Report: Key Cowboys position coach interviews with Dolphins

From @ToddBrock24f7: Robert Prince played a huge role in helping CeeDee Lamb to his best 3 seasons as a pro. He’d worked previously with 2 current HC candidates.

As the Cowboys continue the process of selecting a new head coach, another member of the most recent staff is exploring new options, too.

The Miami Dolphins have reportedly interviewed wide receivers coach Robert Prince for the same position on Mike McDaniel’s staff. That news comes from ESPN Dolphins reporter Marcel Louis-Jacques, who cited a source in a Thursday morning post on X.

Prince, 59, had been with Dallas in that capacity since early 2022, when he was hired away from the Texans by Mike McCarthy to replace Adam Henry. He’d previously been with Atlanta, Jacksonville, Seattle, and Detroit, along with several college stops in a coaching career dating back to 1989.

The Dolphins fired their former wide receivers coach, Wes Welker, at the conclusion of the 2024 regular season.

While with the Cowboys, Prince was instrumental in helping to guide the development of superstar CeeDee Lamb. During their three years together, Lamb was named to three Pro Bowls and never finished a season with fewer than 1,190 receiving yards. Lamb also recorded over 100 catches in each of those campaigns with Prince, including a league-high 135 in 2023.

All three of those seasons came with Brian Schottenheimer also on staff, the last two when he was the Cowboys’ offensive coordinator.

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Whether it is notable or just coincidence, Prince had also spent time with Kellen Moore even prior to their 2022 season together in Dallas, when Moore was still the team’s offensive coordinator. Prince had previously been Boise State’s wide receivers coach and passing game coordinator in 2011, Moore’s final year as the Broncos quarterback. Moore went 12-1 that season, throwing for 3,800 yards and 43 touchdowns and was a finalist for the Maxwell Award.

Moore interviewed with the Cowboys last week to return as head coach, but many around the team feel that Schottenheimer is now the leading candidate at The Star.

There’s no indication that either Moore or Schottenheimer would have retained (or, technically, re-hired) Prince to be the WR coach in Dallas in 2025, but there is familiarity with both men. It seems, however, that Prince may be ready to move on, no matter who wins the head job.

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