REPORT: Dolphins set to hire Western Kentucky defensive line coach Kenny Baker as assistant defensive line coach

Shortly after Vic Fangio met with the South Florida media on Monday, the Miami Dolphins newest defensive coordinator started to assemble his coaching staff for the upcoming 2023 NFL season.

The first move the Dolphins made under Fangio’s guidance was the signing of Renaldo Hill. Hill was the Los Angeles Chargers defensive coordinator in 2021 and 2022. Chargers’ head coach Brandon Staley said Hill was able to leave for a lesser position “out of respect to his former boss.” The former Dolphins’ safety will take over as Miami’s defensive passing-game coordinator in 2023, and fans are hyped. But that wasn’t the only move Fangio set out to make after agreeing to terms with his new team.

According to Matt Zenitz of On3.com, the Miami Dolphins are expected to sign Western Kentucky defensive line coach Kenny Baker as the team’s assistant defensive line coach. Here’s what On3 published late Thursday night:

The Miami Dolphins are expected to hire Western Kentucky defensive line coach Kenny Baker as assistant defensive line coach, sources tell On3. Baker helped WKU rank second in C-USA in sacks, scoring defense and opposing yards per carry last year.

Baker, 36, began his coaching career as the defensive coordinator at Lakeside High School in 2010. In 2013, he took over as the co-defensive coordinator and linebackers coach of Berry College before joining Mercer in 2014 as a defensive line coach. Baker spent five seasons with Mercer before becoming the defensive line coach at the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga. In 2021, he would become the defensive ends coach at Western Kentucky before being promoted to defensive line coach in 2022.

Baker will join Vic Fangio in Miami, hoping to get the most out of a talented unit that should see a healthy Emmanuel Ogbah return to the lineup alongside key pieces like Zach Sieler, Christian Wilkins, Raekwon Davis, and many others.

In other news, former Miami Dolphins’ assistant defensive line coach Derrick LeBlanc will join the Arizona Cardinals as their new defensive line coach. Good luck, coach!

What are your thoughts on the Dolphins hiring Kenny Baker as assistant defensive line coach? Can he help Miami’s defensive line take their game to the next level? Which defensive lineman are you most excited to see in 2023 under Vic Fangio? Let us know in the comments section below!