The Dolphins’ additions on defense may be new, but there’s familiarity in Miami

You don’t need six degrees of separation to find a connection in the National Football League.

With the frequency of player movement and ties that sometimes date to youth ball, it doesn’t take long to find a link to one’s new team.

Familiarity was a sticking point in the first week of free agency for the Dolphins, who signed four outside free agents on offense, all of whom have played in head coach Mike McDaniel’s scheme or were previously coached by someone on the staff.

And it also holds true for the three free-agent signings on defense, which could be a boon for a unit being retooled under new coordinator Vic Fangio.

Outside linebacker Malik Reed played his first three seasons with the Denver Broncos under Fangio, who was head coach, and alongside current Dolphins pass rusher Bradley Chubb. With the tutelage of Fangio, Reed went from an undrafted player out of Nevada to leading Denver with a career-high eight sacks in 2020. And he formed a friendship with Chubb, a connection he called “natural.”

“To come in the league and being in Coach Fangio’s system, I feel like was huge for me, personally as a player,” Reed said Wednesday in his introductory news conference on Zoom. “I learned so much about the game, a lot about the outside linebacker position, to be on the edge, setting the edge or in coverage as well. I’m excited to get back to work with him and my brother Chubb. We had a lot of great times in Denver. That’s a guy that was really close to me, and I’m excited to be able to play with him again.”

Inside linebacker David Long Jr. hasn’t played for Fangio before but as a member of the Tennessee Titans, he played in a similar scheme that prioritized heavy usages of zone defense and low rates of blitzing. Long, who started 26 games over four seasons in Tennessee and recorded a career-high 86 tackles in 20202, noted the arrival of Fangio as playing a big role in his decision to come to Miami.

“The history of the [defensive coordinator], he’s had one of their top defenses for a while. So it just felt like a great fit,” Long said. “And then when I got down there, it felt like an even better fit. ...

“As far as the defense, he plays that same style that I like. Fast and aggressive as far as having a linebacker on the field all three downs. And also, it felt like a good fit. I feel like as the time goes, I’ll learn more about his way and the way he sees fits.”

For safety DeShon Elliott, has the benefit of joining one of his best friends and former teammates, fellow safety Brandon Jones. Both Jones and Elliott played at the University of Texas and struck up a strong relationship in college. Elliott called Jones his “brother” and joked that he played “cupid” for Jones, introducing him to his now-wife.

“We both got a chance to sit back and watch,” said Elliott, who has started 35 games with the Baltimore Ravens and Detriot Lions. “We both didn’t start when we first got there, obviously. That was when he was a freshman. So, we really got to sit back and watch and kind of like see how the college game was and during that time period, as a young guy, it’s frustrating so we were able to bounce ideas off each other and when we finally got a chance to play together, that’s like my little brother man. I don’t have any brothers so me and Brandon grew up together basically going through college.”

Elliott called Fangio’s scheme a “safety-driven defense” and though he may be competing with his good friend for a starting spot next to Jevon Holland, the camaraderie and experience with Jones should also help Elliott as the Dolphins could increase their usage of three-safety packages.

The Dolphins’ three newest defenders join a group that not only includes All-Pro cornerback Jalen Ramsey, who arrived in Miami in a trade days before free agency opened, but returning players such as Holland, cornerback Xavien Howard and outside linebacker Jaelan Phillips, among others. Miami also re-signed players such as cornerback Nik Needham and outside linebacker Van Ginkel.

Ramsey, who played in Fangio’s scheme as a member of the Los Angeles Rams, already proclaimed the secondary the best one he’s ever been a part of “on paper.” And with the Dolphins’ mix of star talent and depth, there are big expectations to turn around a defense that underachieved last season.

The familiarity should shorten the learning curve, too.

“Overall, as a whole, I think we’ll just be, shoot that’s a hard group to stop,” Elliott said. “Then you’ve got Bradley on that D-line and Jaelan on D-line, a freaking funny man [Christian Wilkins] on the D-line, you’ve got Raekwon [Davis] on the D-line so I just feel like — and you’ve got David at linebacker. So, I feel like … How much greater can it get? So, why not be there? We’ve got the opportunity to win a division, an opportunity to play a lot of games, win a lot of games, go to the Super Bowl possibly.”