Ty McKenzie joined the Miami Dolphins as outside linebackers coach in 2022.
The 2022 season marks McKenzie's sixth as an NFL coach, working primarily with the linebacker position. He also played five seasons in the NFL.
Prior to joining the Dolphins, McKenzie spent the 2021 season with the Indianapolis Colts as a coaching fellow.
In 2020, McKenzie served as linebackers coach for Detroit. He worked with linebacker Jamie Collins, who led the team with 101 tackles and three forced fumbles. Collins was tied for second on the team with six passes defensed that year.
McKenzie spent two seasons (2018-19) with the Tennessee Titans as inside linebackers coach.
In 2019, McKenzie helped the Titans reach the AFC Championship game. Inside linebacker Rashaan Evans was second on the team in tackles (111) and tackles for loss (9).
In 2018, McKenzie mentored inside linebacker Jayon Brown, who was one of just six NFL linebackers to have at least six sacks, one interception, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery during the season. Tennessee had the third-ranked scoring defense (18.9) in the league that year, which was the team's best scoring defense since 2008. The Titans also finished second in red zone defense (44.7).
McKenzie's first NFL coaching job was in 2017 with the Los Angeles Rams, where he served as an assistant special teams coach. He helped the Rams win the NFC West that season and finish No. 1 in Rick Gosselin's annual special teams rankings. Four Rams specialists – punter Johnny Hekker, kicker Greg Zuerlein, long snapper Jake McQuaide and returner Pharoh Cooper – earned Pro Bowl selections.
Prior to that, McKenzie was a defensive assistant at Stanford in 2016. He worked with the defensive line, coaching defensive tackle Solomon Thomas, who became the third overall pick of the 2017 NFL Draft, the highest-selected non-quarterback in Stanford history. Thomas also earned first-team All-Pac 12 and second- team All-America honors in 2016.
McKenzie moved into the collegiate coaching ranks in 2015 as a graduate assistant at Colorado.
His first coaching job was at Berkeley Preparatory School in Tampa, where he was the defensive coordinator and linebackers coach for two seasons (2013-14).
McKenzie spent five years as an NFL linebacker and was a third-round pick (97th overall) by New England in 2009. He appeared in 19 career games for Tampa Bay and Minnesota, and totaled two solo tackles, 15 special teams stops and one forced fumble in his career.
McKenzie lettered two seasons (2007-08) as a linebacker at South Florida, where he led the team in tackles both seasons. He earned second-team All-Big East honors as a junior in 2007 and first-team All-Big East honors as a senior in 2008, and finished his career as the school's single-season record holder for tackles (121 in 2007). McKenzie also played one season each at Michigan State (2004) and Iowa State (2006). He earned second-team All-Big 12 honors as a sophomore in 2006.
A Tampa native, McKenzie has four children.
