The Miami Dolphins don’t yet have their defensive coordinator in place, but a position coach who was under new coach Jeff Hafley in Green Bay will now be joining the staff.
The Dolphins are hiring Ryan Downard as defensive backs coach, according to a league source Monday night. He held the same position with the Packers while Hafley was defensive coordinator with them.
Downard had been with Green Bay since 2018, so new general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan was there his whole tenure with the Packers and Hafley the past two years.
He was defensive backs coach the past three seasons, safeties coach in 2022, assistant defensive backs coach from 2019 through 2021 and a defensive quality control coach in 2018.
Downard, 37, was also director of football operations for Bowling Green in 2016 and 2017, and an assistant coach with the Cleveland Browns in 2014 and 2015.
Veteran Dolphins cornerback Rasul Douglas, who had an exceptional 2025 season in Miami, was in Green Bay with Downard coaching in the secondary in the 2021, 2022 and part of the 2023 seasons.
Hafley and the Dolphins have interviewed Philadelphia Eagles defensive line coach Clint Hurtt, a former Miami Hurricanes player and assistant coach, for defensive coordinator but have not made a hire.
Hafley has his offensive coordinator (Bobby Slowik), special teams coordinator (Chris Tabor) and wide receivers coach (Tyke Tolbert) to go with Downard on staff.