Dolphins hoping multiple players’ skill sets make up for secondary’s latest key loss
It was already difficult for the Dolphins to make up for the absence of cornerback Byron Jones through the early portion of the season.
Now the Dolphins must now figure out how to replace another of their most versatile contributors from their secondary after safety Brandon Jones’ season-ending knee injury.
For the moment, the Dolphins and coach Mike McDaniel’s solution — as they did in Sunday’s victory against the Pittsburgh Steelers — is to patch together contributions from multiple players in the hopes of filling their latest void on defense.
“When you have really good players you lose, you don’t replace them with one player,” McDaniel said Friday. “You utilize other players on your roster and then cater your scheme to what they do well. Everyone on the defense knows we have to step up for his lost production. That’s not one person that’s the collection of the Miami Dolphin defenders, different players and different skill sets and you have to put them in the best positions to succeed.”
Brandon Jones’ loss was the latest blow to a secondary that’s been without another of the league’s most versatile corners in Byron Jones so far this season and lost cornerback Nik Needham to a torn Achilles two weeks ago.
Byron Jones remains on the physically unable to perform list following his lower leg surgery in late March, and it’s unclear if or when he’ll be able to play this season.
Brandon Jones leads the Dolphins with 49 combined tackles and is tied for second on the team with two sacks.
In addition to his pass defense, Brandon Jones is one of the most effective blitzing defensive backs in the league, who led all safeties with five sacks a year ago in his first season as a full-time starter.
The Dolphins relied on a combination of veteran Eric Rowe, rookie Verone McKinley III, and Clayton Fejedelem in last week’s game after Brandon Jones tore his ACL.
All three figure to see increased usage, along with Elijah Campbell, going forward to make up Brandon Jones’ absence.
“It’s one of my favorite parts of the system, which I think it’s to the credit of all the defensive coaches starting with (defensive coordinator) Josh (Boyer), with how they take people’s strengths and utilize them in a multitude of ways,” McDaniel said. “From an offensive perspective, it makes it very difficult because you’ll see people move around and those packages are ever-changing week by week.”
The immediate impact of Brandon Jones’ absence could be felt in terms of losing what he brought to the team’s run defense, which ranks eighth in the NFL heading into Week 8. Jones has logged about have of his defensive snaps in the box close to the line of scrimmage, according to Pro Football Focus.
The Dolphins are about to enter a stretch where they will face three of the top-eight rushing offenses in the NFL over the next three weeks. Both the Chicago Bears and Cleveland Browns are averaging 5.2 yards per carry.
The Lions rank fourth in the league averaging 5.3 yards per carry and are expected to have running back De’Andre Swift back from injury Sunday.
“The Lions are very good at getting yards in the pass game and the run game,” McDaniel said. “They challenge you with committing to stuff that possibly isn’t on tape and you have to be sound and play to your style and not let things get you off balance or if they’ll get an explosive [play] here, don’t overcorrect, stick to your responsibilities.
Rowe, who has 16 solo tackles and has appeared in five of the Dolphins’ seven games this season, played 17 snaps and was utilized in coverage on tight ends.
The Dolphins face a challenge this week at that position against one of the league’s top tight ends, T.J. Hockensen.
“Eric had two of his best days of practice specifically at the end of last week and he’s doing some real good stuff,” McDaniel said. “But it has to do with all the tools that you have in your toolbox and what you’re playing and why you’re playing it and what role they have to fit within that given set of circumstances.”
Rowe’s experience could prove invaluable as the Dolphins rely on more inexperienced contributors they’ll need to step up.
Fejedelem has primarily been a special teams ace since signing with the Dolphins in 2020. He played 18 snaps on defense — his first of the season — against Pittsburgh in addition to his 20 on special teams and finished with five tackles including three solo. He was primarily used on early downs.
Elijah Campbell, who has played primarily on special teams, could see his first snaps on defense as well.
McKinley, who has been elevated from the practice squad twice this season and played the first snaps of his career last week at deep safety opposite former Oregon teammate Jevon Holland, played 16 snaps and recorded one solo tackle.
“I’ve been kind of preparing the same since Week 1,” McKinley said. “Just always being ready, because you never know what happens. It’s a long season, a lot of things happen. So whatever happens, just being ready for it and just continuously preparing the same way as all the guys who do play, like Jevon (Holland), like (Eric) Rowe, like X (Xavien Howard). All of them.”
