The Three Dolphins Defenders Most Likely to Benefit from Fangio's Arrival
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The Dolphins are set to hire former Denver Broncos head coach Vic Fangio as their new defensive coordinator and with that will come a drastic change in scheme.
We covered what Fangio’s scheme will generally look like and how it compares to previous defensive coordinator Josh Boyer’s scheme already. However, there are specific players on Miami’s defense who stand to benefit from this change more than others.
Let’s dive into which Dolphins have a chance to raise their game a level in Fangio’s defense.
Jevon Holland, Safety
Holland burst onto the scene with an impressive rookie season in 2021. He was still good in 2022, recording two INTs, 96 total tackles and seven passes defended.
However, Holland was expected to take a jump into league stardom this past season, and he didn’t quite make it. His production as a pass rusher dropped — he recorded just one quarterback hit and 1.5 sacks in 2022 — and so did his PBUs, sacks, and fumble recoveries.
There was a lot of pressure put on Holland in Miami’s previous scheme. He was responsible for playing as a single-high safety, making him the last line of defense.
That worked when cornerbacks Xavien Howard and Byron Jones were healthy in 2021, but this past season Miami’s cornerback injuries made Holland’s role impossible to manage at an elite level.
Enter Fangio’s quarters-heavy scheme, which puts several players into deep zones capping the offense from creating big plays. Some responsibility will be taken off Holland’s plate, allowing him to hopefully play more freely and aggressively. He’ll no longer be responsible for patrolling the entire back end with no help on most plays.
Additionally, a lot of Holland’s value to Fangio’s defense will come before the ball is even snapped. Holland can play all over the field thanks to his stout tackling and reliable man coverage.
Fangio loves using his safeties to disguise defenses pre-snap before rotating them post-snap to confuse opposing quarterbacks. Holland is so versatile, where he lines up won’t tip Miami’s hand.
Holland can win from deep zones, in the box and from the slot in man coverage. He’s also proven to be an effective blitzer, which isn’t something Fangio’s defenses are known for, but it’s reasonable to believe that could change for a player like Holland.
The benefit Fangio’s scheme will provide Holland might not always show up in the box score, but it will show up on film and benefit Miami’s defense as a whole.
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Bradley Chubb, Edge Rusher
This one is pretty obvious, but it has to be mentioned. Chubb reunites with his head coach from Denver to play in a scheme he’s already pretty familiar with.
Ironically, Chubb spent most of Fangio’s tenure injured. Chubb had 12 sacks in 2018 — the season before Fangio was hired — and totaled just 8.5 sacks in 25 games across three seasons with Fangio at the helm.
The Dolphins traded a lot for Chubb at the 2022 deadline, and although he was solid for them down the stretch, Miami needs to get more out of him.
Assuming Chubb can stay healthy, he should be capable of producing better numbers in Fangio’s scheme. His familiarity with it should help, but he’ll also be going back to being a more aggressive run defender.
Miami’s defense put an emphasis on stopping the run with its defensive linemen “two-gapping” in previous seasons. Fangio’s defense still needs stout run defense, but he’ll ask the defensive linemen to play “a gap and a half.”
That will allow Chubb to pin his ears back a bit more and get back to the aggressive mentality that makes him a successful pass rusher.
A player like Rams pass rusher Leonard Floyd is a good example of what extra time in the system can do for a pass rusher. Floyd played under Fangio in 2018 and recorded just four sacks.
However, when he played under Brandon Staley, a known Vangio disciple, Floyd produced a career-high 10.5 sacks. Chubb is a better player than Floyd and has more experience in Fangio’s scheme.
Honorable Mention: Jaelan Phillips. He’ll receive all of the same scheme benefits Chubb will.
Kader Kohou, Cornerback
Instead of going with another chalk pick, it’s time to get a little creative. Kohou was a revelation for the Dolphins this season after signing as an undrafted free agent from Texas A&M-Commerce.
Kohou’s one interception isn’t overly impressive, but he recorded 10 passes defended, which was fifth among 2022 rookies. His 68.8 PFF coverage grade was the highest among qualifying Dolphins cornerbacks.
There are two reasons to be excited about Kohou’s fit in Fangio’s scheme. The first is his ability to tackle. He finished with 63 tackles last season, which also ranked fifth among 2022 rookies.
The only other cornerback higher on the list was Tennesee’s Roger McCreary, while the rest of the top 10 consisted of mostly safeties and linebackers.
Kohou is an impressive tackler for a cornerback, and Fangio’s scheme asks cornerbacks to make plays in the running game. The “gap and a half” strategy works the best when the defensive line can string out running plays long enough for defensive backs to come down from their deep zones and get involved in the run fit.
Kohou is already great at that. That flows perfectly into the second reason to be excited about Kohou in Fangio’s scheme — he can play downhill more often.
He’s an aggressive player who triggers downhill well. Playing more zone coverage will allow him to do that more often. He won’t have to worry about getting beat for a big play as much. Instead, he’ll keep routes in front of him and then come downhill to make a technically sound tackle.
Kohou’s role in Miami’s defense will be interesting given the uncertainty around Jones and both Nik Needham and Trill Williams returning from injury.
If he does remain a consistent member of Miami’s defense, there are plenty of reasons to believe he’ll be even better than he was this past season.
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