When it was announced that Miami star cornerback Jalen Ramsey went down on the second day of training camp with a knee injury, Dolphins fans around the world held their breath. And while the news that broke Friday after successful knee surgery wasn’t the best, it clearly could’ve been much worse.
Simply put, Miami still dodged a big bullet by not losing their new all-pro for the entire season.
The addition of a player of Ramsey’s caliber for the final quarter or more of the season will be a tremendous boon for their playoff push. Throughout the season, as attrition and injuries stack up around the league the Dolphins will be receiving a fresh all-pro addition to their secondary.
In the meantime, this Dolphins defense is still set up for success as they await the return of their star corner and it starts with the off-season addition of new defensive coordinator Vic Fangio.
His scheme consists of limiting explosive plays, disguising coverages and it’s one that doesn’t utilize blitzing at a high clip. This a stark difference from the extremely blitz-heavy defenses Miami utilized for the last three seasons. The defensive mastermind has led top ten defenses in four of his last five seasons and he’s inherited one in Miami that’s loaded with talent. It’s that talent coupled with Fangio’s prowess that will allow Miami to stay successful in Ramsey’s absence.
It all starts up front, Miami’s defensive line is projected as the best in the entire AFC.
Jaelen Phillips, Christian Wilkins, Zach Sieler and Bradley Chubb make up what’s expected to be a fierce front that defends from the interior to the edge with tremendous success. The Dolphins also see 2021 sack leader Emmanuel Ogbah return from injury this season. He’s been a key piece in his time in Miami, compiling 19 sacks, 52 quarterback hits and 17 passes defensed in 42 games played.
In the linebacking room, they feature two highly regarded linebackers in Jerome Baker and newcomer David Long Jr. Baker posted a near-elite pass rush grade of 87.9 last season and Long Jr. finished last season with the highest overall grade of his career (76.1) and an 89 grade in run defense. Chubb and Phillips offer the flexibility to play on the line and at linebacker for Miami as well. The other core pieces consist of the versatile Andrew Van Ginkel who always seems to be around the ball and Duke Riley.
The secondary is where Miami is getting quite a few in-house upgrades. Corners Trill Williams and Nik Needham will both return from injury this season, although an exact timeframe for Needham has yet to be determined. Williams was expected to be a big contributor before his injury in the preseason last year and there is hope that momentum will carry into this season. Needham is a versatile defender who’s seen his coverage grades improve every year in Miami. At safety, Brandon Jones who’s known for his blitzing prowess returns to form one of the top young safety duos in the league with Jevon Holland.
Holland is one of the top safeties in the NFL and headed into year three is only expected to get better. At the corner, the Dolphins are hoping for another tremendous season from undrafted gem Kader Kohou and a bounce-back season from perennial pro bowl corner Xavien Howard, after he played 2022 with two groin injuries.
Miami also spent their first pick in the 2023 draft on a player that now looks to serve an even bigger role as a rookie, Cam Smith, it’s one he could excel in. The former South Carolina Gamecock allowed the lowest completion rate (38%) of any SEC player targeted over 30 plus times in his final year. Coming out, scouts referred to him as a “ball magnet” and an “aggressive, sticky corner.”
The defense could also benefit from often playing with the lead due to an offense that was ranked sixth in the league last year and hopes to continue to improve themselves.
While getting to see the cornerback tandem of Ramsey and Howard will have to wait a little longer, this Dolphins’ defense is still set up to see massive success. And even Ramsey himself said he’s confident in his team’s ability to perform at a high level until he returns.
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