Examining the Dilemma with Dante Trader Jr.

One of the more surprising trends from the Miami Dolphins’ most recent games has been the team’s deployment of its safeties.

Specifically, the increased usage of Ashtyn Davis has led to a lot fewer reps for rookie fifth-round pick Dante Trader Jr. Against the New Orleans Saints, Davis played 66 defensive snaps, while Trader played just five.

That was Davis’ highest mark of the season, and the fewest for Trader in a game in which he’s played at least one snap.

Trader is a rookie that the team seems to like quite a bit, and he’s done some nice things when given a chance this season, so what gives?

Dolphins defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver explained Thursday.

“Again, we love Trader. The cohesion right now we have with those three vets in the back end is strong,” Weaver said. “Those guys, because of their football acumen, they can correct a lot of things in real time. Where sometimes with rookies, there's a glitch there sometimes in the matrix, where they get it, but there's just a little hitch.”

It’s not shocking to hear a coach prefer a veteran over a rookie because of communication and experience — coaches tend to value that stuff quite a bit, and for good reason.

However, the numbers and film don’t really show a drastic difference between Davis’ and Trader’s play, at least not one to merit a 66 vs. 5 snap split.

Miami’s Crowded Safety Room

The Dolphins have an overabundance of safeties. Minkah Fitzpatrick and Ifeatu Melifonwu accompany Trader and Davis in that room.

Although Minkah is listed as a safety, he’s played the majority of his snaps from the slot this season because the team has suffered so many injuries there. That leaves the majority of the snaps to Melifonwu, who has played at least 36 snaps in four of the last five games, Davis, and Trader.

The Dolphins should really find a more equitable split between Davis and Trader because Davis hasn’t been particularly good this season.

His 19.9% missed tackle rate, according to Pro Football Focus, is way too high. Plus, he’s allowed 12 of his 16 targets to result in catches this season, and he’s made just one play on the ball all season in Week 2 against New England.

Trader’s missed tackle rate is also too high, but it’s lower than Davis’ at 16.7%, and he’s allowed nine of his 11 targets to be caught this season, while also making just one play on the ball.

Judging safeties off those numbers can be a fool’s errand, thought, because a lot of what safeties do happen on plays when they’re not targeted. On tape, Trader is a far better man-coverage option and a more consistent run-game defender.

Coaches don’t think this way, but it’s fair to point out that developing Trader is important for Miami’s future. Davis will be a free agent this offseason, and finding a cost-effective starter, like Trader, would be a huge win for a fifth-round pick.

It’s difficult to judge just how much Davis’ communication is affecting Miami’s defense from the outside, and there’s no doubt Trader has made some rookie mistakes this season.

But to essentially bench Trader in favor of someone playing as inconsistently as Davis just doesn’t make a ton of sense.

To his credit, Weaver did emphasize that Trader will get his shot again this season.

“It just takes a little bit longer to process,” Weaver said. “Trader is a stud, right? And his FBI is high. There's just some of those things; he just needs more experience. So he's gonna play. His numbers will vary from game to game, but we certainly haven't lost faith in him or Jason Marshall or any of those young bucks.

“Those guys are going to play a lot of football for us, and they're going to play a lot of meaningful football down the road. Right now, particularly where we're at in the season, really backs against the wall. We just want to make sure the guys that are out there are experienced and are going to execute at a high level.”

We’ll have to see if Weaver sticks to his word or if the team continues with the veteran trio.

More Miami Dolphins Coverage