Details on Dolphins changed playing time on defense Sunday. And notes, grades by position
With Jaelan Phillips out for the year and David Long Jr. coming off a hamstring injury, the Dolphins made significant personnel changes in their linebacker unit on Sunday.
And the results were mixed.
Before he missed Week 4 against Tennessee, inside linebackers Long (and fellow starter Jordyn Brooks) had been playing every snap when games were competitive. On Sunday, Brooks played all 60 defensive snaps, but Long and Anthony Walker Jr. split the other inside linebacker snaps — 30 apiece.
With Phillips out, inside linebacker Duke Riley played outside linebacker on the first snap of the game but never played another defensive snap all day. Surprisingly, Quinton Bell also played just one defensive snap.
At outside linebacker, the Dolphins went primarily with Emmanuel Ogbah (who played 45 of 60 defensive snaps), rookie Chop Robinson (40 snaps) and newcomer Tyus Bowser (43), who played ahead of both Bell and rookie Mo Kamara, who was inactive. Bowser was plucked off Seattle’s practice squad on Thursday.
The good news about the linebacker play: Among 21 players who appeared on defense for Miami on Sunday, Pro Football Focus rated Robinson second best (behind only cornerback Kader Kohou) and Ogbah 11th. Not only was Robinson rated Miami’s second-best run defender, but he had three pressures (though still no sacks this season). Ogbah had a sack and tackle for loss.
The bad news: Among all of Miami’s defensive players on Sunday, PFF rated Long and Walker 19th and 20th, ahead of only Bell, who played just that one snap. Also, Brooks allowed all three passes in his coverage area to be caught, for 37 yards.
New England ran for 7.9 yards per carry (19 for 151), and PFF primarily blamed defensive linemen Benito Jones and Calais Campbell and Walker, Brooks and Long. They were rated the Dolphins’ five worst run defenders on Sunday, with Long ranked last.
Some notes at other positions:
▪ Defensive line: Zach Sieler played 49 snaps, Campbell 34, Da’Shawn Hand 30, Benito Jones 18 and Brandon Pili two.
Campbell had four pressures and Sieler had four pressures and a sack.
Jones continues to grade out poorly against the run.
▪ Safety: With Jevon Holland (44 snaps) leaving in the second half with a broken bone in a hand, Elijah Campbell played 16 snaps and Nik Needham logged one. Marcus Maye, filling in for injured Jordan Poyer, played all 60.
Maye permitted four completions in eight targets, but for just 25 yards.
The only pass completed against Campbell lost a yard.
▪ Cornerback: Jalen Ramsey played all 60 snaps, and Kendall Fuller played 55 after leaving briefly with an injury. Kader Kohou played 46 and Storm Duck 5.
Ramsey yielded three completions in five targets for 30 yards, while the only target against Fuller was caught for 21 yards.
Kohou missed one tackle but made two other very good plays. And of the four passes thrown in his coverage area, the two that were caught lost two yards.
▪ Running back: With De’Von Achane exiting after 11 snaps because of a concussion, Raheem Mostert played 44 snaps and Jaylen Wright 25.
Wright’s 86 yards (on 6.6 per carry) were the most by an NFL rookie running back this season; per PFF’s Ryan Smith, he has forced eight missed tackles over the past two games, and he averaged an impressive 4.62 yards after contact on Sunday.
Mostert’s 80 yards, on 4.2 per carry, provided a lift after missing 3 ½ games with a chest injury.
“The running back room was ready to put the team on their back, so to speak,” Mike McDaniel said. “I think having Raheem back was awesome.”
Alec Ingold, who played a season-high 42 snaps, scored the winning touchdown and graded out exceptionally as a blocker.
▪ Wide receiver: Odell Beckham Jr. played 11 snaps in his Dolphins debut; one of his targets was intercepted (not his fault) and the other was incomplete.
Tyreek Hill played 62 of Miami’s 78 offensive snaps and Jaylen Waddle played 61. Malik Washington (20 snaps) played more than Braxton Berrios (15).
PFF gave Hill the highest grade among Dolphins receivers.
▪ Tight end: The Dolphins continued giving the most playing time to Julian Hill, who committed his sixth penalty of the season. Hill played 40 snaps, Jonnu Smith 32, Durham Smythe 27 and Tanner Connor none.
PFF rated Smythe 23rd and Hill 25th among 26 players who appeared on offense.
Smith’s 62 receiving yards were the most by a Dolphins tight end since Mike Gesicki had 69 against Minnesota in 2022.
▪ Offensive line: PFF gave high marks to left tackle Terron Armstead (who was rated Miami’s best offensive player in the game) and left guard Robert Jones, who was rated the fourth best.
Right guard Liam Eichenberg committed two penalties and was rated worst among 26 players who appeared in the game on offense for Miami.
Eichenberg was charged with New England’s only sack, although right tackle Austin Jackson also was beaten on that play. Eichenberg also permitted three pressures.
Neither Jones nor center Aaron Brewer permitted a pressure or hurry in 39 pass blocking chances.
On a day the Dolphins churned out 193 yards on the ground (on 4.7 per carry), PFF rated fullback Ingold, Armstead, Jones, Jackson and Brewer as Miami’s top five run blockers.
This story was originally published October 7, 2024 at 11:59 AM.
