Brian Flores wasn't the only member of the New England Patriots coaching staff to leave for the Miami Dolphins after the 2018 season.
When Flores left the Patriots to become head coach of the Dolphins, he took Chad O'Shea with him to be Miami's offensive coordinator. O'Shea was the wide receivers coach in New England for a decade before departing for South Beach.
Well, O'Shea is now a free agent after the Dolphins fired him Monday, per NFL Media's Mike Garafolo.
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The Dolphins offense was better over the last half of the regular season. In fact, Miami ranked 13th in points scored and eighth in passing yards from Week 7 through Week 17. The Dolphins impressively went 5-4 over their last nine games, culminating with a stunning Week 17 victory over the Patriots at Gillette Stadium. This improvement wasn't enough to save O'Shea's job, though.
O'Shea probably won't have too much trouble finding a job before next season. There are several teams without head coaches, including the Cleveland Browns, New York Giants and Carolina Panthers. The Dallas Cowboys could join that group, too. Any of the coaches who end up being hired by those teams could pursue O'Shea to bolster their offensive staff, either as an offensive coordinator or a different role.
New England Patriots
One interesting possibility is O'Shea reuniting with Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels if the latter leaves New England to take one of the open head coaching jobs. McDaniels reportedly has drawn interest from the Giants, Browns and Panthers. O'Shea and McDaniels worked together on the Patriots for many years. Another possibility is O'Shea replacing McDaniels as the Patriots offensive coordinator in the event McDaniels departs.
McDaniels' sole focus in the short term is the Patriots' AFC Wild Card playoff game against the Tennessee Titans on Saturday night. If the Patriots lose this weekend, McDaniels' future will be among the most popular storylines in the early stages of the Patriots' offseason.