News and nuggets on Dolphins defense, by position, and McDaniel Friday reaction
News and notes by position on the Dolphins’ defense, and reaction from Mike McDaniel, a day after Miami’s 31-21 loss at Buffalo:
Defensive line
The quality of play hasn’t been good enough. The Dolphins’ defensive line didn’t have a tackle for loss, and Zach Sieler has gone three games without a sack after producing 10 sacks each of the past two seasons.
The Bills ran for 157 yards on 5.8 per carry, with defensive linemen and outside linebackers often sealed off on runs.
Among 20 players who logged defensive snaps for Miami, PFF rated Matthew Butler 10th, Sieler 12th, rookie Jordan Phillips 16th, Benito Jones 17th and Kenneth Grant 19th.
After a promising start to the season, the fifth-round pick Phillips struggled, unable to get off blocks on several sizable James Cook runs. Grant, Miami’s first round pick, also struggled in the run game.
Of Miami’s 60 snaps on defense, Sieler played 49, Grant played 39, Phillips 30, Butler 13 and Jones 9. Jones was coming off an oblique injury.
PFF said Phillips and Grant were Miami’s worst players against the run.
Inside linebackers
The Dolphins continue to say they must play Willie Gay Jr. more, but he logged only eight of 60 defensive snaps, giving him 11 defensive snaps in three games.
Jordyn Brooks and Tyrel Dodson played all 60 snaps.
Defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver said last Thursday that he has no interest in splitting snaps between Dodson and Gay.
Dodson wears the green dot on his helmet, relaying calls from coaches. Gay said he hasn’t practiced with the green dot at all this year but is more than capable of it.
PFF rated Gay the third-best player on Miami’s defense Thursday, with Dodon ninth and Brooks 11th.
Dodson had one of Miami’s two sacks on Thursday but continued to struggle in pass coverage, permitting six of seven targets to be caught for 67 yards and a touchdown.
Brooks permitted three of four to be caught for 19 yards.
Outside linebackers
Bradley Chubb had the only sack by a Dolphins edge player.
But Jaelan Phillips had five pressures and PFF rated him Miami’s best defender on Thursday.
PFF rated Matthew Judon 13th, Chop Robinson 14th and Bradley Chubb 18th.
Robinson and Chubb entered ranked in the bottom fifth in the league in run defense among edge players, and PFF says both of those players graded out poorly in that area again on Thursday.
As pass rushers, Chubb had two QB pressures (and the sack) and Robinson had one.
Phillips played 42 of Miami’s 60 defensive snaps, while Chubb played 41, Robinson 22 and Judon 18. Robinson dealt with a knee injury last week.
Safeties
With Ifeatu Melifonwu sidelined by a calf injury, Ashtyn Davis started opposite Minkah Fitzpatrick, and both played all 60 snaps.
Rookie fifth-round pick Dante Trader Jr.’s playing time was reduced to 13 snaps on defense.
PFF graded all of them well among Miami’s 20 defenders; Davis was second, Trader fifth, Fitzpatrick sixth.
Davis allowed two of three targets to be caught for 11 yards. Fitzpatrick wasn’t targeted all game.
Cornerbacks
Jack Jones played 59 of Miami’s 60 snaps (leaving for one play because of an injury) and Rasul Douglas played 57.
Jason Marshall Jr. played six snaps on defense before leaving with a soft-tissue injury.
Cornell Armstrong played 13 of Miami’s snaps in nickel packages after Marshall departed and allowed a 15-yard TD pass on his only completion, according to PFF’s analysis. McDaniel said Marshall’s injury is “a week-to-week thing, not super extensive.” McDaniel said he’s not sure if Marshall will play in the Jets game in Week 4.
Marshall struggled badly before leaving. Despite playing only six snaps, PFF said he permitted all four passes thrown against him to be caught for 54 yards and a touchdown.
Ethan Bonner played one snap when Jones departed.
PFF rated Douglas third and Jones seventh among 20 Dolphins defenders.
Douglas permitted one completion in two targets for just four yards. Jones allowed one of two targets to be caught for no yards, and PFF graded him highly as a run defender.
This story was originally published September 19, 2025 at 11:37 AM.
