An adage in the NFL is that offense wins games, but defense wins championships. That’s a quote from legendary college football coach Bear Bryant, and it may hold more truth today than ever before. Stopping your opponent is always the goal, but it’s easier said than done as offenses around the league continue to push the ball downfield, creating more big-play opportunities than ever before. This means a talented defensive backfield is all but key to defensive success.
Can the Dolphins’ Secondary Be One of the Best in the NFL?
Returning Talent
At the top of the list is defensive back Jalen Ramsey, who’s been at the apex of cornerback play since he entered the league in 2016, and at 29 years old, is still at the top of his game. The seven-time Pro Bowler and three-time All-Pro is a Swiss army knife on defense, and while he’s capable of locking down one side of the field, he’s at the top of his game when he’s moved around the defense. New Defensive Coordinator Anthony Weaver plans to utilize Ramsey as the “ultimate chess piece”, fully maximizing his skill set.
The All-Pro has shown he can make an impact playing up in the box in the run game, being on an island in the passing game, and just about anywhere else on the defense. Making him one of the most versatile players in the league and one of its premier defenders.
Not far behind Ramsey is one of the league’s best young safeties in Jevon Holland. Holland finished the 2023 season as Pro Football Focus’ third highest-graded safety in the league. Headed into year four, Holland has routinely shown up big for Miami and plays all over the field, similar to the above-mentioned Ramsey. His play has seen him debut on multiple top 100 lists and regularly be mentioned as one of the best at his position. His 99-yard pick-six was one of the highlights of the 2023 season, but his discipline on defense may be even more impressive as he recorded zero penalties in coverage in 2023 and made PFF’s top 25 under 25 list. He seems to be just getting started.
New Additions
There’s a new top-flight corner helping to lock down receivers in Miami after the Dolphins signed Kendall Fuller to a two-year deal back in March. The eight-year pro has flown a bit under the radar in his career but has been terrific in coverage. He finished the 2023 season as the eighth-highest-graded corner in the league due to his sticky coverage, where he allowed only 13 first downs on the season, and reliable tackling in space. Fuller’s success looks to be a big upgrade over former Dolphin Xavien Howard, who was coming off of one of the worst seasons of his career. He now joins forces with Ramsey to form arguably the best defensive-back tandem in the league as both players cracked the top ten in PFF’s top corners for the 2024 season.
Not to be outdone, Holland has a new playmaker in town in his unit, helping to form what looks to be one of the top safety tandems with the addition of Jordan Poyer. The former All-Pro dealt with injuries the last few seasons but still managed to hit the century mark in combined tackles in 2023 and earn Pro Bowl honors in 2022. The former Bill also came in at number 57 in the most recent iteration of the NFL’s top 100 players list, a list he’s cracked for the third consecutive season. This experience should provide a boost in the secondary as he not only looks to elevate the group but the identity on defense as well.
No-Fly Zone
The list of accolades and highly graded seasons are aplenty when looking at the Dolphins’ secondary and new Defensive Coordinator Anthony Weaver is no stranger to talented defenses. As the defensive line coach in Baltimore, he helped spearhead a unit that led the league in scoring defense in 2023. The Ravens secondary also ranked sixth in pass yards allowed last season. The expectation is that Weaver will get the most out of the Dolphins’ defenders.
Miami did have to say goodbye to a few players in their secondary this off-season, none more well-known than the former multiple pro bowler Xavien Howard. The start of the 2024 league year also saw safeties Brandon Jones and Deshon Elliot sign new deals with other teams.
With the level of talent listed above and other returning or newly signed players like Kader Kohou, Marcus Maye, Elijah Campbell, Nik Needham and Siran Neal, Miami has an opportunity to have one of the top pass defenses in football. They are making life a little easier for their high-flying offense.
Main Photo: Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports
