Dolphins Add a Former Legion of Doom Member to Coaching Staff

The Miami Dolphins are adding a former NFL player to the remodeled defensive coach staff, which has turned over quite a few assistants this offseason.

Former Seahawks defensive back turned assistant cornerbacks coach DeShawn Shead, who played six seasons in the NFL, is joining Mike McDaniel's staff, which recently relieved secondary coach Renaldo Hill and cornerback coach Sam Madison of their duties.

The Dolphins also lost safeties coach Joe Kasper to the Philadelphia Eagles, where he's joining Vic Fangio's coaching staff, and linebacker coach Anthony Campanile left to join the Green Bay Packers staff.

What will Shead coach?

What Shead's role will be exactly in the 2024 defense run by newly hired coordinator Anthony Weaver hasn't been clarified, but it's likely that he'll work with the secondary, or cornerbacks based on his past experience.

"I had an amazing journey here in Seattle! Met my wife @mrs_jshead , had 3 amazing kids, started my NFL career, became a Super Bowl champion, made life long friends and started my coaching career," Shead wrote on his Instagram account. "With that being said, I’m excited and can’t wait to continue my coaching career with the Miami Dolphins next season."

Shead has been part of the Seahawks' coaching staff since 2021.

Having played in the NFL from 2012 to 2019 for Seattle and Detroit, the 34-year-old was a key member of Seattle's secondary during the Legion of Boom era, which won the Seahawks a championship.

Shead started 23 of the 66 games he played during his six seasons.

He produced 171 tackles, two interceptions, forced four fumbles and recorded one sack during his playing career. He was a core special teams contributor for three of his six seasons.

Dolphins secondary needs to be rebuilt

The Dolphins defense finished 2023 ranked 10th in the NFL in terms of total yardage allowed, but Miami allowed 23.2 points per game last season, which ranking 22nd in the league.

Miami's passing defense was 15th, allowing 223.5 passing yards per game and ranked 16th with a 2.46 defensive interception rate.

When Miami had a healthy Jalen Ramsey and Xavien Howard on the boundary the secondary thrives, and contributed to the 2023 Dolphins' setting a new franchise record for sacks produced in a season because of the coverage they provided.

But the unit struggled when Ramsey missed the first seven games because of a knee injury he suffered in training camp, and when Howard was sidelined by a hip injury and a foot injury that forced him to miss all but one snap of the final four contests, which included Miami's playoff loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.