The Dolphins will be breaking in their new head coach next season, but they will also have the veteran experience of Jim Caldwell to make things run more smoothly.
Brian Flores gets his first crack at being an NFL head coach next season with the Miami Dolphins and he’ll have Jim Caldwell to help his transition from Patriots defensive coordinator.
Flores has certainly been around the NFL long enough and having worked for Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots since 2004, he has learned from the absolute best in the business. But when a franchise hires a first-time head coach, things can often be a little rocky starting out as the new coach adjusts to taking on far greater responsibilities.
Luckily for the 37-year-old Flores, he’ll have some help. The Dolphins added Caldwell to the staff and will serve as an assistant to Flores as well as quarterbacks coach. Having been a former head coach in the NFL, the 64-year-old Caldwell brings a vast amount of experience to the staff that will be greatly beneficial for the much younger Flores.
“Jim is an incredible human being, a man of faith and a great football coach,” Flores said in a team press release, according to NFL.com. “His experience as a head coach will be invaluable to me. Jim is a great teacher, highly organized and somebody that I have a lot of respect for.”
Though Caldwell took a year off from football during the 2018 season, he has been around the NFL for a long time, dating all the way back to 2001 when he was the quarterbacks coach for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Caldwell also served as the quarterbacks coach for the Indianapolis Colts from 2002-2008 where he worked with Peyton Manning.
In 2009, Caldwell took over as the head coach for the Colts and led them to an appearance in Super Bowl XLIV. Most recently, he was the head coach of the Detroit Lions from 2014-2017, leading them to two playoff appearances in that time.
With the Dolphins also planning to move on from longtime quarterback Ryan Tannehill, Caldwell’s experience will come in handy as the team’s quarterbacks coach as they try to find their quarterback of the future.
But Caldwell’s presence should benefit Flores the most, and will hopefully make his transition to a head coach in the NFL much easier.