There's another former Miami Dolphins assistant who has become an NFL head coach, and there was a ripple effect for a current Dolphins coach.
The Chicago Bears are hiring former Dolphins assistant Ben Johnson to become their new head coach after interviewing several candidates, one of them being Dolphins defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver.
Johnson just finished his season with the Detroit Lions after guiding an offense that led the way to an NFL-best 15-2 record before their shocking exit from the playoffs in their first postseason game, a 45-31 loss against the Washington Commanders on Saturday night.
Johnson spent seven seasons (2012-18) with the Dolphins in various roles: offensive assistant, assistant QB coach, tight ends coach, assistant wide receivers coach, and WR coach.
Weaver remains a candidate for the New Orleans Saints head-coaching opening, with reports Monday indicating he'll be conducting a second (and in-person) interview this week.
There are now five openings for head coaches around the NFL, including two of the Dolphins' AFC East foes, the New England Patriots and New York Jets. The other teams are the Jacksonville Jaguars, Las Vegas Raiders and Saints.
One of Johnson's colleagues during his time in Miami was Lou Anarumo, and he also got a new Monday, with reports indicating he'll become defensive coordinator for the Indianapolis Colts. Anarumo previously held the same role with the Cincinnati Bengals and earned praise for scheme that always gave the Kansas City Chiefs some problems and helped the team reached the Super Bowl and then the AFC Championship Game in consecutive years before things fell apart defensively in 2024.
The Dolphins ended the 2015 season — after head coach Joe Philbin was fired after four games — with current Lions head coach Dan Campbell as interim head coach, current Bengals head coach Zac Taylor as interim offensive coordinator, Anarumo as interim defensive coordinator, and Johnson as tight ends coach.
