The Miami Dolphins are on the hunt for a new defensive coordinator, and Sean Desai seems to be one of their targets. According to NFL insider Ian Rapoport, Miami has requested to interview the 39-year-old coach.
The #Vikings and #Dolphins, both of whom have vacant DC jobs, have requested to interview #Seahawks defensive assistant and associate head coach Sean Desai, sources say.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 22, 2023
After firing Josh Boyer and other key personnel a few days ago, the team has a vacancy at defensive coordinator. Boyer had been with the franchise since 2019 and was one of the holdovers from former coach Brian Flores’ staff.
The Dolphins organization opted to retain him after the hiring of Mike McDaniel last year. But now, it seems that the Miami head coach will be given a chance to look for an assistant of his choice.
The Dolphins certainly need help on the defensive end after allowing the opponents to score 23.5 points per game this season. It was likely one of the reasons Miami’s 2022 campaign ended early despite having a formidable offense that posted 23.4 points per contest.
Desai would be an interesting choice as he is considered one of the most promising young minds in the NFL. He began his career in the league as a defensive quality control coach with the Chicago Bears in 2013. After several years, he was eventually promoted to defensive coordinator in 2021, helping to lead the Bears to a No. 13-ranked defense, according to Football Outsiders’ efficiency metrics.
In 2022, the Seattle Seahawks hired Desai to be a defensive assistant and associate head coach. Interestingly, the Seahawks’ defense was a bit worse than the Dolphins’ this season in terms of points allowed. Seattle allowed 23.6 points per match and ranked one spot higher than Miami in that metric.
Only time will tell if the Dolphins end up hiring Desai. Of course, it is expected that McDaniel and the organization will do their due diligence and look for the right person to help the defense.
There should be huge optimism for Miami next season after a solid outing in the 2022 season, which saw the team end its playoff drought.
One can only imagine how the Dolphins’ season would have ended if key players were able to avoid the injury bug. But the coming offseason will provide them the opportunity to improve the roster and staff.
