The New England Patriots requested permission to interview Miami Dolphins outside linebackers coach Ryan Crow for their vacant defensive coordinator position, according to ESPN’s Mike Reiss.
Crow joined the Dolphins in 2024 after spending the previous six seasons on Mike Vrabel’s staff with the Tennessee Titans. Last week, Vrabel was announced as the new head coach of the Patriots.
While the Patriots requested permission, the Dolphins can only block assistants from interviewing for lateral positions. As a defensive coordinator appointment would be a promotion for Crow, Miami has no choice but to grant the request.
Crow, who was once a walk-on linebacker at Bowling Green, had brief coaching stints at Purdue, Baldwin Wallace, and Ohio State before joining the Titans in 2018 as a defensive assistant.
In his first season with the Dolphins, Crow didn’t get to work much with Bradley Chubb or Jaelan Phillips, as the pair of veteran pass rushers dealt with serious injuries. But 2024 first-round pick Chop Robinson improved as the season went on, transforming into one of the NFL’s most productive pass rushers in the second half of the year.
The Patriots defense finished 2024 with the No. 22 ranked defense in the NFL.