What’s Missing From Vic Fangio’s Dolphins' Defense?
The expectations are sky high for Vic Fangio.
The Miami Dolphins won a competitive bidding war, making the former Denver Broncos' head coach and seasoned defensive guru the highest paid defensive coordinator in the NFL, and the expectation is that he’ll deliver immediate returns.
“This defense does two things: It creates turnovers and it stops explosives,” said safety coach Joe Kasper, who left the Philadelphia Eagles to join Miami's staff this offseason. “And the No. 1 way to win games in the NFL is create turnovers — or protect the ball — and stop explosives. This scheme, similar to the one we ran in Philadelphia, gives us the best chance to do those two things.”
Problem is, to transform the leftovers of Brian Flores’ hybrid defense into a top ten, possibly top five unit in 2023, Fangio hinting that he needs more pieces.
"We have some really good talent at some places," Fangio said at the conclusion of Miami’s minicamp, likely referring to the Dolphins’ defensive front, pass rushers, and cornerbacks.
"In other places, we’ve got to find the talent,” Fangio said. “I think it’s a good mix right now. Our good players have got to play really good for us to be good, and we’ve got to find the other guys to fill in that play good in spite of their lack of playing time and experience."
Depth concerns on defense linger
Roster depth seems to be what Fangio is hinting at?
He’s possibly wondering how good the Dolphins defense will be if a starter or two - players like Raekwon Davis, David Long Jr., and maybe Jevon Holland - are sidelined because of an injury for an extended stretch in 2023.
The Dolphins faced similar stretches last season when defensive end Emmanuel Ogbah was shelved for nearly half the season because of his biceps injury, and when starting strong safety Brandon Jones and nickel cornerback Nik Needham were sidelined because of the knee and Achilles injury they suffered in October.
Other defenders missed games and starts as well, and it watered down Miami’s defense, which finished 2022 ranked 18th in total yards allowed (337.8) and 24th in points allowed (23.5).
Those struggles cost Josh Boyer his job, and opened the door for McDaniel to hire Fangio, whom he lobbied unsuccessfully to hire when he was named Miami's head coach.
Now McDaniel’s entrusting Fangio to work his magic, but that required talent.
Defensive free agents who could help Dolphins
What Fangio is likely asking the team’s front office to address is the areas of weakness on defense, which based on what the media saw during OTA, and minicamp practices appear to be nose tackle, inside linebacker, and safety.
There isn’t an established nose tackle behind Davis, so if he’s sidelined by an injury, Miami could be forced to switch defensive fronts, going from a 3-4 to a 4-3 unless Brandon Pili steps up. Or the Dolphins could sign someone like free agent Akiem Hicks, who has history with Fangio.
Christian Wilkins and Zach Sieler aren’t built to take on two blockers consistently, which is the primary job of a nose tackle in a traditional 3-4 scheme, so adding a veteran like Hicks, a 33-year-old who has started 121 games and produced 41.5 sacks, could be beneficial.
Long has a history of battling soft tissue injuries in the NFL, which is one of the reasons Tennessee moved on from him during free agency this offseason. If Long, who missed the majority of the offseason program nursing an undisclosed injury, or fellow starting inside linebacker Jerome Baker become sidelined, Duke Riley and Channing Tindall would likely have their roles elevated.
Are they ready to have more responsibility put on their plates, or would it be beneficial for the Dolphins to add veteran linebackers like Jaylon Smith, Kwon Alexander, Anthony Barr or Rashaan Evans, who remain free agents?
While Holland has been relatively healthy the past two seasons, he’s been the lone exception in his safety unit.
Brandon Jones and Trill Williams are both coming back from season-ending knee injuries. Their returns could bolster that unit, which also added DeShon Elliott as a free agent.
But Fangio had to leave June’s minicamp asking himself if there’s a starter on the roster who would complement Holland, whom he’s clearly a fan of.
“He’s a highly talented player, highly instinctive player, highly smart player, tough player, loves the game,” Fangio said of Holland, who contributed 96 tackles, two interceptions and 1.5 sacks last season. “There is nothing I don’t like about him.”
Can the same be said about Elliott, who has started 35 games in his previous four seasons, Jones, who has struggled in coverage during his three seasons as a spot starter, Williams, who is making the cornerback-to-safety conversion, Elijah Campbell, a special teams standout who was also moved from cornerback-to-safety, or Verone McKinley, who started two of the 10 games he played in last season after being called up from the practice squad?
Only time and snaps will provide those answers, but from Fangio’s seat it seems as if he’d be more comfortable if the Dolphins brought in reinforcements who could help him deliver what Miami's expectation, which is an upper echelon defense.
