DAVIE, Fla. — The Miami Dolphins have fired offensive line coach Pat Flaherty and replaced him with Dave DeGuglielmo.
Flaherty was hired in February shortly after Brian Flores took over as head coach, but the Dolphins offensive line has struggled throughout spring and summer.
This move was football-based with nothing to do with an off-the-field incident, a source told ESPN.
Flores has made it clear that there are no “sacred cows” in the organization and players are competing for their jobs every day. It’s apparent that refers to coaches, too, after the move to let go of Flaherty.
The fact that the move happened before the preseason even started shows the issues with how Flaherty was guiding the offensive line were significant. The interior of the offensive line, in particular, has been dominated by the defensive line through four days of training camp.
DeGuglielmo, who spent 2018 as the Indianapolis Colts offensive line coach, was hired as a Dolphins football analyst in May. He’s very familiar with Miami. This is his third stint as an assistant coach here (2009-11; 2017 after Chris Foerster resigned).
The move also means another former Patriots assistant in DeGulielmo (offensive line coach 2014-15) has a significant role on the Dolphins coaching staff.
DeGuglielmo, also known as Guge, is recognized for turning the Colts into one of the NFL’s best offensive lines last season, most notably due to the performances of rookie starters Quenton Nelson and Braden Smith.
The Dolphins are expected to have at least two new starters are their offensive line and need to groom several young players in that room including third-round pick Michael Deiter.
Source : ESPN
