After parting ways with Vic Fangio to start the offseason, the Miami Dolphins have made another addition to their defensive coaching staff under new defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver for the 2024 NFL season.
While Miami’s defense played well in the second half of the regular season, head coach Mike McDaniel determined changes were needed on the defensive side of the ball. Fangio was dismissed after persistent issues with the coaching staff, leading to change in Miami.
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McDaniel immediately went out and hired Weaver, who previously served as assistant head coach and defensive line coach with the Baltimore Ravens, as his new defensive coordinator for the 2024 season. Days after landing a defensive play-caller, Miami has made another prominent addition to its coaching staff.
According to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network, the Dolphins are hiring former Green Bay Packers defensive coordinator Joe Barry as linebackers coach and run game coordinator.
While Barry’s reputation among the general public is hurt by his failed stints as a defensive coordinator for the Packers, Detroit Lions and Washington Commanders, he is joining the Dolphins coaching staff in a more suitable role for what he does well.
Prior to joining Green Bay, Barry was well-regarded around the league as one of the best linebacker coaches in the NFL today. As a top defensive assistant under Sean McVay, the former Los Angeles Rams linebackers coach helped Cory Littleton emerge as a breakout player in 2018 and earn his first Pro Bowl selection. Barry was also the Tampa Bay Buccaneers linebackers coach (2001-’06, 2009) when Derrick Brooks was one of the best linebackers in the NFL.
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Barry was not an effective defensive play-caller, but he has been successful across multiple stops at getting the most out of his linebackers. That stretch even includes his time in Green Bay, highlighted by De’Vondre Campbell earning first-team All-Pro honors in 2021 and more recently helping former sixth-round pick Isaiah McDuffie develop into a starting linebacker.
Now joining the Dolphins coaching staff, Barry should be able to help linebacker David Long Jr. in a contract year and his track record could also prove appealing to veteran linebackers in NFL free agency.
