Looking Back, Looking Ahead with the Dolphins Defense

The Miami Dolphins clearly have done a 180 in terms of their defense from one offseason to the next.

It's clear not only in their desire to move on from defensive coordinator Josh Boyer after retaining his services despite their head-coaching change last offseason, but also with the change of philosophy that likely is coming based on two of the four identified candidates.

The first thing that stands out is that the heavy-blitzing days of the Dolphins defense probably are a thing of the past, based on the philosophies of presumed leading candidate Vic Fangio along with that of fellow candidate Sean Desai.

The ultra-aggressive style the Dolphins employed the past four seasons, from the time Brian Flores arrived as head coach in 2019, was a huge reason for the winning records posted in 2020 and 2021 but it didn't have the same positive effect this past season.

The scheme was particularly effective in 2020 when the Dolphins forced an NFL-high 29 takeaways on defense, which helped the team score 404 points, which actually was a higher total than the 2022 team produced in 17 games.

The defense wasn't nearly as good in 2022 with Boyer as the defensive coordinator for a third season but Flores no longer around.

But how much of that really was on Boyer?

WHERE THE 2022 DOLPHINS DEFENSE WENT WRONG

Remember that this was a scheme designed to be ultra-aggressive with the idea of having cornerbacks who could be left alone on the back end in man coverage, something that worked out well when the Dolphins had Xavien Howard and Byron Jones healthy and in the lineup.

But the Dolphins didn't have Jones for one snap in 2022 and Howard battled injuries for most of the season, not showing anything close to his typical Pro Bowl form even if he again was selected to the all-star game.

Oh, and for good measure, the Dolphins lost their quality nickel corner when Nik Needham landed on IR and their best blitzer when Brandon Jones joined him there.

As impressive as Kader Kohou was as a rookie free agent and as much fight as Keion Crossen showed, this clearly wasn't the same cornerback crew the Dolphins had in recent seasons.

WHERE THE 2022 DOLPHINS DEFENSE WENT RIGHT

To be sure, the Dolphins defense took a clear step backward in 2022, but it still was the biggest reason for the Week 1 win against New England, the Week 3 win against Buffalo (despite the Bills gaining almost 500 yards), the Week 7 win against Pittsburgh and the Week 18 win against the Jets that got Miami into the playoffs.

And in the playoff game at Buffalo, the three takeaways were the biggest reason the Dolphins had a chance to win the game late in the fourth quarter.

There was national media criticism over the Dolphins blitzing on an early third-and-15 on a play where Josh Allen hit Stefon Diggs for a long completion to set up the first touchdown of the game, but it also was a blitz that got the Dolphins a touchdown in the third quarter to take the lead.

After the announcement last offseason that the Dolphins were keeping Boyer as their DC, amid reports it was an organizational decision, head coach Mike McDaniel said he liked what the defense did and pointed out to the 2020 Miami-San Francisco game at Levi's Stadium when the Dolphins defense dominated in a 43-17 victory.

So, did that change in the course of one season when the defense had to deal with so many injuries?

If the Dolphins decided to let McDaniel hire his preferred candidate, amid rumblings that he wanted Fangio last offseason, why didn't that simply get done then? Because, quite frankly, did the Dolphins defense underperform that much when you factor in the injuries?

THE DOLPHINS DEFENSE MOVING FORWARD

The Dolphins do have some talent on defense, but it's easy to get carried away with how good the personnel is at times.

Put simply, it's not on the same level as the San Francisco 49ers or Philadelphia Eagles, for example.

Bradley Chubb, Christian Wilkins, Jaelan Phillips, Jevon Holland and Howard are good foundational pieces, and the Dolphins also count benefit from a return from Emmanuel Ogbah and a return to health by Brandon Jones.

Without question, the Dolphins still could use a difference-making off-the-ball linebacker and another cornerback, particularly if they don't bring back Byron Jones.

The success of the defense moving forward will come as much from the continued development (or return to form) of the front-line players as it will from whatever scheme ends up being employed.

To be sure, Fangio would bring a great resume should he end up being the new defensive coordinator, but players still have to make the plays.