What analytics website says about Miami Dolphins defense. And personnel notes
The big mystery of this Dolphins defense is whether it’s a good defense that fully capitalized on playing eight average-to-below-average quarterbacks (excluding Lamar Jackson) during its win streak last season or if it’s a great defense that will perform well regardless of the competition this season.
It certainly didn’t hurt to go up against a Mike Glennon over here and a Tyrod Taylor over there.
We explored that key question in this offseason piece.
Pro Football Focus, which breaks down film of every game, sized up the Dolphins’ defense this way heading into the season:
▪ PFF ranks the Dolphins’ secondary as the fifth best in football, behind only Baltimore, Tampa Bay, Cleveland and Green Bay.
“This may not be the most complete secondary in Tier 1, but man do the Dolphins have some game-changers,” PFF said. “No player has more interceptions than Xavien Howard’s 27 since he entered the NFL. There’s a good chance he’s not even the most impactful player in Miami’s secondary anymore after 2021 rookie Jevon Holland started his career like a house on fire. The second-rounder was already the third-highest-graded safety in the league last season.”
▪ The website ranks the Dolphins’ linebacker unit 22nd of 32 teams, noting that “Elandon Roberts and Jerome Baker are average linebackers who have just one 70.0-plus season grade among their 10 combined years in the NFL. The scheme plays a part in them making some plays. There is hope that Channing Tindall, Miami’s rookie linebacker out of Georgia, can find his way on the field.”
▪ Found this interesting: PFF said the Dolphins have two of the top 25 interior defensive linemen in football. The website ranked Christian Wilkins 12th, calling him one of the best run defenders at his position last season.
PFF rated Zach Sieler 24th, noting he has played more than 500 snaps in each of the past two seasons for the Dolphins and that his PFF grade last season ranks in the top 10 for all interior linemen.
PFF also called Sieler the Dolphins’ most underrated player.
▪ PFF notes Howard “has been the best cornerback in the NFL over the past two seasons when lined up in press coverage, judging by PFF coverage grade. Howard has given up some yardage into his coverage on those plays, but he has also more than made up for that. Passes targeting him when he has been in press coverage over the past two seasons have generated a lowly 42.2 passer rating, less than half the average of all passes leaguewide.”
THIS AND THAT
▪ I’m not one to get worked up over Madden ratings, but Howard not ranking in the top 10 among cornerbacks seems preposterous.
▪ Only seven NFL players have more 10 plus-yard carries than Sony Michel’s 96 since 2018. And he’s the likely No. 3 back on this team, if he beats out Myles Gaskin!
Chase Edmonds has 19 carries of 10-plus yards last season and was seventh in the league in yards per carry in 2021.
And Raheem Mostert, the other back who figures prominently in Miami’s plans, would be the No. 1 active running back in yards per carry in his career if he had enough attempts to qualify.
▪ PFF this week rated Tyreek Hill the 24th-best player in football, with this comment:
“NFL defenses frustrated Hill and the Chiefs’ offense last season with a determined refusal to give up the deep plays that have made him so dangerous. His average depth of target dropped 2.4 yards from the previous year, but he caught a career-high 111 passes in the regular season and was still an elite and dynamic threat at all times. Players who can set the schematic agenda for an entire season are extremely rare, and Hill is one of them.”
Howard was rated 48th in PFF’s list of the top 50 players.
▪ It’s mystifying why former Pro Bowl safety and NFL Network analyst Jairus Byrd - in a Wednesday night prediction segment - would say that the Dolphins would acquire Jimmy Garoppolo, who has been made available by the 49ers.
The Dolphins have made it abundantly clear they’re committed to Tua Tagovailoa in 2022. They have a top-10 backup in Teddy Bridgewater. Garoppolo has a big cap hit and is coming off shoulder surgery, and Mike McDaniel was part of the staff that decided to replace Garoppolo with Trey Lance. It doesn’t add up.
▪ Cornerback Quincy Wilson, who has made 11 NFL starts and played mostly cornerback for the Colts and Jets, is expected to continue to work at safety in camp and possible could get time at both positions.
He’s a versatile, interesting player to keep an eye on, one who could ultimately compete with Clayton Fejedelem for the No. 4 safety job.
Here’s my Thursday piece with some interesting comments from ESPN’s Dan Orlovky and Ryan Clark, who are bullish on the Dolphins and Jaylen Waddle.
This story was originally published July 21, 2022 at 4:09 PM.
