Your Take On The 2024 Miami Dolphins Defense

I wrote a post last week discussing the Miami Dolphins defense, which has lost and added many new players and changed coordinators. With that in mind, I then asked the following question-

Do you see the Miami Dolphins defense taking a step back, taking a step forward, or remaining the same after the various roster losses and additions?

Below are some of your answers and thoughts on the question-

PhinstantReaction is concerned about the defensive front after the loss of Christian Wilkins.

My biggest concern is the front of the defense. DBs are solid, but we need to be able to stop the run consistently. This defense should be more than capable of stopping teams in our division, though

Call_for_the_Priest’77 believes the defense has the talent to get it done but still has some concerns at CB and DT.

There is no question we have the talent on defense (and offense for that matter). The question is can we keep these guys healthy enough for the whole year? If we do this (with particular emphasis on OL and pass rushing), I don’t think there is anyone we can’t beat!

As far as defensive talent goes, my concerns are at corner and DT.

CB Kendall Fuller seems capable on numbers. I guess being jock-stripped by Tyreek Hill (last year in Washington) doesn’t define one as a bad corner. No doubt Reek has done that to better cover guys as well. Although they may have lost their strap, they didn’t lose their label! I’m not sure what percentage load of passing went Fuller’s way last year but this year is going to see a lot more as he is now playing opposite Ramsey. Is he going to be up to the task?

Meanwhile Kader should be our slot guy. But then what? Will Anthony Weaver give Cam Smith directions to Hard Rock? Nick Needham is likely moving to safety. Siran Neal is a special teams ace and seldom plays at DB. That apparently leaves Ethan Bonner, Jason (the latest WHO? designation) Maitre and of course, the unflappable (or should that be ‘flappable’?) Storm Duck for corner depth. Given this state of things, I think we should give plenty of consideration to re-signing Eli Apple, who has likely played in more career games than the rest of crew past Ramsey and Fuller (accounting only DB games for Neal)! You never know what you are going to get from Apple but he does do more good than bad and he can make big plays to go along with his far superior experience.

DT got a massive windfall when we picked up Calais Campbell. I suspect that he will play most of his time inside, where he had some excellent production under then defensive coach Anthony Weaver. He is one of the best answers we could come up with to the void left by Christian Wilkins. But how much of a game can he play at 37 / 38? The players behind him currently include: Gallimore, Tart,

Hand, B. Jones, and Pioli. We are going to have to count a lot on whoever remains from this rotational group. Even with Campbell replacing CW, that’s still a net loss for the team. Our edge guys, already compromised with Phillips and Chubb still in health question, are going to have to generate a lot of pressure from their own efforts compared to edge guys last year as we now lack CW’s penchant for drawing double

tpl says it’s a wait-and-see, but it can’t be worse than under Fangio.

We will just have to wait and see how good the defense is. I am hopeful the offense can keep the defense off the field more. I noticed some of these new players have experiece in Weaver’s defense and hopefully this helps with a better defense. I don’t think there is any way it could be worse than Fangio’s.

sdphinsfan says it all comes down to whether the big names can step up in the big games.

Changes in the scheme won’t be that big of an issue. On this side of the ball, we’ve got alot of veteran players who’ve played in different schemes so that will get picked up pretty quickly. The communication part of it may be different, and that’s usually where the learning curve is.

Wilkins is a loss that will be felt. But it can be overcome. If you look at the DT group and ask, “are we better without Wilkins”, you would have to say not. If the question is “are we better without Wilkins and Davis”, now you might be on to something. Weaver is counting on group production, not individual production from this position. And the guys he’s brought in have shown they can do that. The question is going to be same question we seem to have every year. Are the star players going to be able to deliver, especially against the better teams in the league? We won’t find that out for a few months yet….

Spok507 says the defense will be up to the task, with Weaver bringing some fight back to the squad.

With a new DC and a lot of new players, it’s pretty hard to determine how the Defense will perform, but on paper, they look pretty stable. Yes, Wilkins will be missed, but I do think the rotation they’ll have in place will make up for his production on the DLine. Campbell is the cherry on top as he still has plenty of gas in the tank and can lead along with Sieler. Phillips should come back full strength, but I’m guessing Chub will take a while to work back into shape, but Barrett, Robinson and Kamara should be able to keep the fire burning until the starters return. Poyer is a smart player and Maye is good; Fuller is probably not as accomplished a name as Howard, but he is one of those players that does his job well with little drama, so what more could you ask? He should pair well with Ramsey. I think the secondary is better, less injury prone, and will gel nicely. I like the linebackers and think they will be a step up from Baker in coverage, allowing the secondary more room to be effective. Weaver should bring some fight to the Defense. As a former player, he knows what they’re thinking and seeing on the field, so the players respect him and know he’s one of them. I think if they’re more aggressive and attacking all over the field rather than laying back they’ll be fine and should be an effective defense. Our offense should be able to score a lot, so the D simply has to stop other teams from matching that. I do believe they’ll be up to the task.

Bubbatoo says that they will probably be okay.

Their LB’s are better , The secondary is better ,

If the young guys step up on the line theyll be OK

FinscallyIrresponsible sees some struggles this year with 2 pass rushers returning from serious injury, the unit taking a few games to get comfortable in the new system, and the loss of Wilkins taking its toll.

As usual in today’s NFL, injuries and recovery from injuries will play a major role. Players who tear their achilles or acl are usually not the same the following season. It’s the 2nd year back that they regain their form. If Chubb and Phillips follow that pattern, it’s going to be a tough year for the defense.

Additionally, it will take a few games to acclimate to the new DCs scheme so expect some mistakes early on.

Finally, Wilkins is going to be missed. Seiler’s numbers will drop a bit as he’ll get all the double teams now.

Dolfanjoe likes to say-

Well as i like to say, with last years defense and having won the Super bowl . Why would we have made any changes at all to the defense ? As Fan’s we certainly am hoping we can stop the run better ! Defend the pass better ! Special teams are better !

MIAMI235 thinks it’s up to how long it takes for the “learning curve” to kick in for all the players.

My approach was looking at it with this main question:

What is the reasonable “Learning Curve “, with a new DC and some new faces on Defense?

We would benefit immensely, from a quick one, but that may not be realistic.

Rick-in-Texas believes the depth and scheme will lift the unit this season.

IMHO, the defense will be better than last year for two reasons – depth & scheme. We became too predictable with the past two DCs. Either all-out blitzing with one & play it safe (ball in front of you) type of defense with the other. It will be interesting to see how much we mirror the Ravens and, more importantly, whether our personnel live up to their type of production. On the other front (depth), we are way more prepared than last year. I’m anxious to see how they gel and whether the loss of Wilkens turns out to be a huge deal – my hope is not.

Phinsatx sees the defense as a sleeper that could be good or great, or it could all crash and burn.

Seems like the million dollar question. You almost expect McDaniel to add a new wrinkle to the offense even though they are already really good. The defense is weird though. They kind of look better on paper despite losing players. Some of the weak links seem to have been replaced by better players, but there are a ton of unknowns that start with the coach. Weaver seems like a good dude though, so I’m excited to see what he does and I’m rooting for him. I see the defense as a sleeper pick for success. It could crash and burn too, but it is hard to count out guys like Ramsey.

SlayerNation1 says the defense will, in fact, be better, and it will begin to show by the end of the week two game.

Yes, and We shall all see signs of the improvement by the time Week 2 ends for the Phins. Conveniently, that is only 4 and 1/2 days after kickoff.

DolphinFan85 says it’s not reasonable to expect better this season.

How could it in a reasonable manner? Well written article but the above mentioned , not just the loss of Phillips but how he was hurt.Chubbs after a trade for a 1st round AND a big new contract AND being in the game in garbage time.The Dolphins had more players injured on D then I can ever remember.This article is the defense going from 23 to 24, but it also brings the 3rd man coaching the D in 3 years which is a very long way from Mike Westoff coaching special teams.I will have to see it to believe it.Chop seems he could produce which they need first snap.

It seems as if most of our readers and fanbase expect the defense to be better in 2024, but as a fan going back to the 1970s, I know all too well about overinflated expectations of my Dolphins. Thank you again to all of you who took the time to answer the question of the day and give us your thoughts on the subject. I will return with the second part of last evening’s post tomorrow evening.