The Miami Dolphins fired head coach Joe Philbin following the loss against the Jets in Week 4 and moving forward, the future for quarterback Ryan Tannehill could be uncertain despite the quarterback signing an extension this offseason. The team promoted Dan Campbell to take over as the interim coach and there is a chance he could make a change with defensive coordinator Kevin Coyle.
The Dolphins fired Philbin after dropping to 1-3 on the season and it comes after the team had high expectations for 2015. The franchise spent money in the offseason on Tannehill and free agent Ndamukong Suh and so far the results have not been great. According to Pro Football Talk, the move with Philbin could put Ryan Tannehill's future up in the air despite the quarterback signing an extension, as a new head coach may want to go in a different direction.
While Tannehill signed a four-year extension this offseason, Pro Football Talk reports that the deal really is a "two-year deal," as the team has an option for the later years of the contract. PFT writes that if the team cuts Tannehill "before the fifth day of the 2017 league year," the team will get out of guaranteed money owed to the QB. Although that is fairly far in the future, the Dolphins situation is a bit fluid and while Campbell could potentially keep the job, there is a good chance the team will hire a new coach and he may want to go in a different direction.
Campbell and the Dolphins also have a decision to make on Coyle, as the team has not played well defensively. According to NFL.com, Albert Breer reports that the team will be making a decision soon on the future for Coyle. The Dolphins have underperformed on defense and Suh has been a disappointment after signing a record contract this offseason. NFL.com reports that the defensive players have had issues with Coyle's scheme and that there was a "closed-door meeting" that saw Dolphins players "sound off" on why the scheme has not been working.
Tannehill had a career season last year, but this season he has been off to a slow start and that could give the Dolphins some pause moving forward. Tannehill has seven touchdowns and five interceptions this season and he is completing just 56 percent of his passes. Tannehill had a career high 27 TDs and low of 12 interceptions last season and he also set highs with 4045 yards and a 66 percent completion rate.
Philbin reportedly had lost a bit of control of the team, as Pro Football Talk reports that his last practice had some issues between the scout team and the offense. Philbin wanted the scout team defensive players to "take it easy" in practice, but some did not listen. There also was some sniping going back and forth between Tannehill and some of the players.
Check here for more on the Dolphins, Tannehill and Philbin and the future of the team.