Dolphins’ Fangio candid and blunt assessing several players. And a Jalen Ramsey update
A 12-pack of notes from Dolphins assistant coaches who spoke Thursday:
▪ It doesn’t look like Brandon Jones will be getting defensive snaps in the immediate future.
Defensive coordinator Vic Fangio indicated Thursday that his mind-set at the moment is to have DeShon Elliott continue to play every defensive snap alongside fellow safety Jevon Holland, at least for now.
Though Fangio said everything is subject to change, that approach would mean no defensive work for Jones, one of the NFL’s best blitzing safeties in 2021 and the first half of the 2022 season, before an injury ended his season.
Jones was limited throughout training camp while working his way back from last October’s ACL injury.
He played 58 snaps filling in for the injured Elliott against Buffalo but didn’t play a defensive snap against the Giants. Fangio didn’t rule out playing Jones on defense.
“There’s always the possibility of weaving guys in during the game,” Fangio said. “If things are going good, we kind of leave it alone.”
As for Elliott, “he’s played well of late,” Fangio said. “He’s improved from week to week. He’s very diligent in his preparation.”
▪ Meanwhile, Fangio said he will continue to stick with Eli Apple when the team uses three cornerbacks.
Playing Apple opposite Xavien Howard on the outside allows Kader Kohou to move inside to the slot in nickel packages. Kohou plays on the boundary when Miami plays only two corners.
“There’s nothing permanent in the NFL, [but] that’s the way we are going to go right now,” Fangio said. “Get Kader back inside. In nickel, we think he does a good job.”
▪ Though the Dolphins have generally declined to give a timetable for Jalen Ramsey’s return from meniscus surgery, cornerbacks coach Sam Madison gave an encouraging outlook on Thursday.
Asked if he’s optimistic if Ramsey will be able to play in a game in November, Madison said: “Yeah, speaking with trainers, he looks really good.”
Ramsey is moving around well but is not practicing and remains on injured reserve. Once he practices, the team will have 21 days to activate him.
“Very hopeful and looking forward to getting him on the field,” Madison said. “He’s been doing really good.”
▪ When Jaelan Phillips returns from his oblique injury, Fangio must decide where to give Andrew Van Ginkel most of his snaps — on the edge (where Phillips and Bradley Chubb are starters) or at inside linebacker.
“He’s making a case for that,” Fangio said of Van Ginkel continuing to play a lot, even when Phillips returns.
“We will try to get Gink as many snaps as we can between edge and the ILB [inside linebacker] position.”
Fangio offered interesting insight on his decision to use Van Ginkel some at inside linebacker for the first time in his career.
“There was a point in the offseason where I was watching some tape; it was crossover tape,” Fangio said. “I wasn’t watching to watch him, and there was a play or two that maybe made me think he could be an ILB.
“So I had one of the assistant coaches call up all his snaps that could relate to being an ILB. I watched it; it wasn’t what I thought it was going to be. I thought for three or four days, ‘nah, let’s leave it alone.’”
But then… “I said, ‘heck with it. I still have a gut feeling he could do it.’”
▪ Fangio said linebacker David Long Jr. “has been playing better and better of late. Still has to get out of inconsistencies at times but he’s improving.”
When Phillips returns (possibly this week), Van Ginkel and Long could ultimately share inside linebacker snaps opposite Jerome Baker.
▪ The Dolphins never publicly criticized defensive lineman Christian Wilkins for sitting out a month of practices in August — and all the preseason games — while hoping to get a contract extension.
On Thursday, Fangio said “the layoff he had in training camp” resulted in him being “rusty” early in the season.
But Fangio said “his play has been good. It’s improving. He’s back to where he was” before he sat out practices from Aug. 5 through the end of the month.
▪ Fangio said defensive tackle Raekwon Davis is “doing good sometimes. Sometimes not so. It’s a consistency thing with him. I believe in Raekwon. He’s got to push himself, not that he isn’t [doing that], to keep going to get to places he hasn’t been before.”
▪ Fangio said edge player Emmanuel Ogbah has “had some production [but] missed an opportunity or two. He’s got to get better at some of the most fundamental things you have to do early in the play. That will help improve his play.”
▪ Fangio said he has discreetly used one of the new coverages he came up with in the past year. “It’s reared its head a little bit and it has helped us,” he said.
▪ Offensive coordinator Frank Smith said Chase Claypool, acquired last week from the Bears, is “a big, fast wide receiver with a big catch radius. With the skill set, everything looks good so far.”
Smith said Claypool is learning the team’s system and terminology.
Can a skill position player generally help quickly? “It’s very doable,” Smith said.
With regard to a CBS report that Claypool could play some tight end here, tight ends coach John Embree said “at some point, Chase and I will be doing something together. Haven’t really met him yet.”
Mike McDaniel said Claypool is a wide receiver but didn’t rule out tight end.
Embree said several players on offense spend time with different coaches, so this wouldn’t be unusual.
▪ Smith said running back Jeff Wilson Jr. is ready to play after missing the first five weeks with rib and finger injuries. There’s one open roster spot with De’Von Achane’s move to injured reserve.
▪ In the wake of Stefon Diggs catching five passes against Kohou in the Dolphins’ loss in Buffalo, Howard has expressed a willingness to shadow the opposing team’s best receiver.
Madison said that decision “goes to the defensive coordinator, what he wants you to do” and he understands Fangio’s reluctance to do it.
When a cornerback shadows a receiver, “you start to wear down,” Madison said.
Conversely, if a cornerback stays on one side, “that’s all he really had to do,” Madison said. “You are not stressed having to run across the field; you are fresh for the end of the game. He has energy.”
This story was originally published October 12, 2023 at 12:22 PM.
