Dolphins defensive coaches discuss Holland, McKinney, Butler, offer personnel tidbits
Notes and nuggets from Miami Dolphins defensive position coaches on various topics during an hour-long Zoom session with reporters on Tuesday:
▪ Defensive backs coach Gerald Alexander: He doesn’t gloss over the jettisoning of safety Bobby McCain — “you lose experience in relation to a rookie” — but is bullish on what 36th overall pick Jevon Holland can provide.
“I’ve known Jevon for a long time; I tried to recruit him at Cal [but he went to Oregon],” Alexander said, joking that Oregon has snazzy uniforms and buildings while Cal can offer academics foremost.
“Jevon when you look at his college career, he really only played two years,” Alexander said. “As a freshman, he played as a deep safety in sub packages, but he did some really good things as a young guy. His willingness to tackle in the middle of field showed up.
“Second year, they really allowed him to play in the box, nickel guy, big safety. He was able to make tackles in the open field, play some man-to-man. Along with his natural athletic gifts, you can see a very versatile player. We prioritize multiplicity in this defense. He’s our kind of guy.”
McCain — who was released after the draft and subsequently signed with Washington — was an exemplary communicator, and Alexander said “Jevon has been doing a great job being attentive in meetings. We need him to know all individual spots. He has to know what to say in what situations but also be loud and confident in his demeanor to take command at free safety [or any position].
“The challenge is to get young guys to communicate at that extreme level to put our defense in a great position to be successful. We’re off to great start with his demeanor and energy in the meetings.”...
Brian Flores suggested last week that former Patriots cornerback/safety Jason McCourty will focus on safety. Alexander wouldn’t say where he’s working specifically but said “Jason has a lot of experience in this system, whether it be playing at the perimeter corner or in the slot or as a safety. He has the versatility to do a lot and will be X out there on the field, where we can put him wherever.
“You can’t have enough guys that can cover. Getting his versatility, experience and veteran leadership are things that don’t show up in the stat sheet and can really benefit us. That was part of what went into it to get him be a part of our squad.”...
Alexander said the Dolphins didn’t use Noah Igbinoghene in the slot last season because they wanted him to focus on playing the boundary as a rookie. And now?
“He’s going to develop as a perimeter corner with the versatility to play inside,” Alexander said. “We knew he had the physical ability to do both. Noah is giving himself a great chance with how he’s being attentive in meetings and developing on the field and developing his body. He’s chomping at the bit to get in competitive situations. We hope he continues to make strides to become what we think he can.”
▪ Linebackers coach Anthony Campanile: He confirmed Benardrick McKinney will be used in a variety of ways. He’s a natural inside linebacker but the Dolphins believe he can play outside linebacker, too.
“McKinney has a versatile skill set which we value,” Campanile said. “I’m very excited he’s here with us. He gives us a chance to do a bunch of things with him.”...
Who can fill the many roles left open with the release of Kyle Van Noy?
Besides Andrew Van Ginkel, Campanile mentioned McKinney and inside linebackers Elandon Roberts and Jerome Baker. Outide linebacker Jaelan Phillips also will be a factor, of course….
“Jaelen is a really good kid, has love and passion for the game, checks all those boxes,” Campanile said. “High-level competitor.”
Or as defensive coordinator Josh Boyer said of Phillips: “Call him an end. Call him a linebacker. Call him a DB if you want. He’s a football player.”...
Van Ginkel will get more responsibilities calling out the defense. “Andrew has been a good communicator,” Campanile said. “Very bright guy. He’s always up in the office, trying to learn, study.”...
Edge player Vince Biegel, who missed all of 2020 with a torn Achilles, “has done a great job, worked tirelessly to get back,” Campanile said. “He’s a team guy. Smart player, high effort. Really excited to have him back.”
▪ Defensive line coach Austin Clark: He said former Patriots defensive lineman Adam Butler — signed in free agency — brings “a wealth of experience, had a very successful career, hard-working guy, good interior rusher and has versatility.”...
Clark on where defensive tackle Raekwon Davis stands entering his second season: “He did a good job developing throughout the year in terms of run defense and winning 1-on-1s consistently and holding the point on double [teams]. A major focus for him is finishing plays; he probably feels like he left some stuff out there. Looking forward to everything he brings to the table. Love him.”...
Clark likes where Christian Wilkins is but said “he can definitely do a lot more. He did a good job getting better and better. ... Really fired up about him. His best ball is ahead of him.”...
Defensive end Jonathan Ledbetter, who started his first NFL game (the 2019 opener for Miami against Baltimore) but hasn’t played since because of multiple injuries, is back and has been “great,” Clark said. “The stuff on tape [from 2019 training camp and Georgia] is great.”...
Jason Strowbridge, the fifth-round pick in 2020 out of North Carolina who played only 55 defensive snaps as a rookie, “has some twitch and some pass rush and versatility,” Clark said. “He’s putting it all together in Year 2. There were moments he did some good things [in 2020].”...
John Jenkins, back with the team to compete for a job at defensive tackle, “did a great job playing the run” for Miami in 2019, Clark said. “Also a veteran presence for some of our younger players. We’re lucky to have him.”
▪ Cornerbacks coach Charles Burks:
Burks, on the addition of veteran cornerback Justin Coleman, who will challenge Nik Needham for the primary slot corner job:
“Justin has been a good player for a long time. Competition is good for everyone in the building.”...
Burks raved about how Byron Jones has improved as a ballhawk; he had two interceptions in his final four games after going 2 ½ years without one (for Dallas and Miami) after moving over from safety during his Cowboys tenure.
“It was said he didn’t have the ball skills, and he just worked on it and worked on it,” Burks said. “He improved on it and made it a focus. Guys saw that and saw he was willing to be uncomfortable to improve his game. That’s a ripple effect to everyone in the room. That makes all the younger guys want to go.”
This story was originally published May 25, 2021 at 1:19 PM.
