Miami Dolphins Complete Interview with Jacksonville Jaguars DC Campanile

The Jacksonville Jaguars' coaching staff has lost two assists in the past couple of days. Those personnel holes will be easier to fill than would the vacancy of defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile.

The Miami Dolphins announced Saturday they'd completed their interview with Campanile toward replacing fired head coach Mike McDaniel.

The Dolphins fired their fourth-year coach on Jan. 8, following a 7-10 season and third-place finish in the AFC East. Miami's season was also marked by the benching of starting quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, whose $212.4 million extension in 2024 will put the team and next head coach in a bind going forward.

With the New York Giants hiring former Baltimore Ravens coach John Harbaugh on Saturday and the Atlanta Falcons filling their head coach opening on Saturday with Kevin Stefanski, who was fired by the Cleveland Browns on Jan. 5, there are now seven NFL teams searching for their next head coach. It seemed inevitable those teams' owners and general managers would invite the first two coordinators from the Liam Coen coaching tree. 

Among his previous coaching stops, Campanile was plucked from the ranks of college assistants in 2020 by former Dolphins coach Brian Flores. He spent four seasons in Miami, coaching the Dolphins' linebackers. The New Jersey native spent 2024 as an assistant with the Green Bay Packers.

Campanile, 43, is reportedly among nine candidates the Dolphins have (virtually) met with or plan to interview. Team officials, including Miami's new general manager, Jon-Eric Sullivan, who was hired on Jan. 9, have also asked to interview Los Angeles Rams defensive coordinator Chris Shula, grandson of Don Shula, who coached Miami to the NFL's only perfect season in 1973 and to five Super Bowls appearances, two of them wins.

The Dolphins also are reportedly considering Jeff Hafley, currently the Packers' defensive coordinator; San Francisco 49ers DC and former Jets head coach Robert Saleh; Jeff Minter, currently defensive coordinator for the Los Angeles Chargers; Detroit Lions DC Kelvin Sheppard; and Patrick Graham, the Las Vegas Raiders' defensive coordinator. 

Hafley, Sheppard and Graham are expected to meet with the Dolphins on Monday -- the first day NFL teams are permitted to hold in-person interviews with personnel who coach with other teams.

Campanile was reportedly on the wish list of candidates the Tennessee Titans planned to interview this offseason for their head coach opening.  Rumors of the Titans' interest in Campanile were reported on Dec. 20, just ahead of the Jaguars' upset-win over the Broncos in Denver in Week 16.

NFL rules strictly police the timing of interviews and interview requests for teams interested in other teams' coaching personnel, particularly with teams in playoff contention. Jacksonville was ousted in the first round of the playoffs by the Buffalo Bills on Jan. 11.

The Titans have not indicated whether they've met with or plan to interview Campanile. 

The Cleveland Browns on Tuesday requested an interview with Jaguars offensive coordinator Grant Udinski.   

A safety and linebacker at Rutgers from 2001-2004, Campanile coached prep football for six years before returning to the Scarlet Knights as a defensive assistant, then to oversee the tight-end and receiver units. After four years in New Brunswick, Campanile moved on to the coaching staffs at Boston College (2016-2018), then Michigan (2019).

The Jaguars this weekend lost assistant offensive line coach and run-game specialist Keli'i Kekuewa to Stanford, where he'll focus on the offensive line for the Cardinal. On Friday, Jacksonville let go its secondary coach, Ron Milus.

Both Kekuewa's and Milan's bios have been disappeared from the Jaguars' online coaching staff pages.