Dolphins film study: What each new defensive player can bring to Miami

Through the first two weeks of free agency, the Dolphins have brought in four outside free agents on defense as they look to reshape the unit under new coordinator Vic Fangio. Miami found players on all three levels of the defense, headlined by cornerback Jalen Ramsey, whom they acquired in a trade days before free agency opened. They all have unique skill sets that could help fill a void for a defense that underachieved this past season.

Here is one thing each new defender can bring to their new team.

CB Jalen Ramsey: Versatile playmaking

Since he entered the NFL in 2016, Ramsey has been one of the best shutdown cornerbacks in the league. And through the first four years of his career, he’s mainly done that by shadowing receivers on the boundary. But after he arrived in Los Angeles via a midseason trade in 2019, his responsibilities were altered a bit to allow him to make an impact as opposing offenses avoided his side of the field.

Over the last three seasons, the Rams had Ramsey take on the “Star” position, an evolving role that places him in the slot more and closer to the line of scrimmage. As offenses have evolved and more top-flight receivers are starring from the slot, it has allowed Ramsey to continue to shadow the opposing team’s No. 1 option if the game plan allows it and become more involved against the run. From 2016 to 2020, Ramsey had 329 snaps at nickel corner, according to Pro Football Focus; he had 325 in 2021 alone.

What makes Ramsey able to excel in this role is not only his cover ability but his physicality against the run. In 2021, he had four tackles for no gain or a loss from the slot, according to the NFL’s NextGen Stats, tied for the most in the league. In 2022, Ramsey recorded a career-high 88 tackles and a missed tackle rate of 3.3 percent, the lowest of his career.

Ramsey had said that he views himself as a defensive back, rather than a standalone boundary corner. While the majority of his snaps will still come on the outside, the versatility should be welcome in a Fangio-led defense that likes to disguise looks and often asks its defensive backs to make plays against the run.

LB David Long Jr.: Three-down consistency

After retaining the entirety of their inside linebacker corps in 2022, the Dolphins went for a shakeup this offseason. The team re-signed Duke Riley and signed Long, an unrestricted free agent from the Tennessee Titans who projects as an every-down player alongside Jerome Baker.

In recent seasons, the Dolphins have used Elandon Roberts, who signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers, as an early-down run defender and Riley on obvious passing downs. Long has the skill set of a player who can do anything Fangio requires in his scheme. With an increase in two-high safety shells and lighter boxes, the Dolphins need inside linebackers who can hold their own against the run. In 12 games before a hamstring injury sidelined him for the final five of the season, Long had a run stuff rate of 6.6 percent, tied for the highest rate in the NFL. Though he’s just 5-11, Long has a canny ability to disengage from blocks and slither past linemen to get to ball carriers.

Against the pass, Fangio needs his linebackers to have the athleticism to drop into zones and disrupt passing lanes. If there is one area where Long could improve, it is in pass coverage. According to ESPN, Long allowed 0.9 yards per coverage snap, which the site noted is an average mark for linebackers. But Long has the speed and quickness to execute zone-dropping assignments in Fangio’s scheme. He allowed a passer rating of 74.1 when targeted this past season, according to Pro Football Reference, which ranked seventh among off-ball linebackers. For comparison, Roberts allowed a passer rating of 121.9 when targeted.

S DeShon Elliott: Run support from depth

Injuries derailed the first couple of seasons of Elliott’s career but he had his best year to date with the Detroit Lions in 2022. In his time with the Lions and Baltimore Ravens, he’s had mixed success as a deep safety. In 2020, his lone season as a full-time starter with the Ravens, he spent most of his time at free safety and allowed a passer rating of 76.9 when targeted in zone coverage, according to Pro Football Focus, which tied for 19th among safeties with at least 365 coverage snaps. But in 2022, playing in a Detroit scheme that like Baltimore uses high rates of single-high safety looks, Elliott allowed a passer rating of 118.8, which tied for fifth-highest in the NFL among safeties.

Elliott has shown the capability at times to execute as a deep safety and could benefit from having half-field assignments in two-high shells. But he should really help the Dolphins as an extra run defender, especially if he has to come from depth to make a play. He logged over 4,000 snaps in 2022 in the box or as a slot defender and has the physicality to hold up at the line of scrimmage. His 38 tackles in run defense ranked 11th among safeties who played at least 250 snaps and his 6.2 percent missed tackle rate was a career low.

With lighter boxes, Elliott could come down as a deep safety and makes plays in the run game or take snaps closer to the line of scrimmage as a dime linebacker in sub packages. Whether he can secure a starting role likely depends on his improvement in coverage, though.

OLB Malik Reed: Versatile depth

In Miami, Reed won’t be a headliner. Jaelan Phillips and Bradley Chubb will start at outside linebacker. But with Andrew Van Ginkel re-signed and Reed in the fold, the Dolphins have a pair of backup linebackers who can do a little bit of everything. Reed had his best year when he was paired with Vic Fangio in 2020, recording a team-high eight sacks. His 36 pressures were also a career-high and ranked tied for 40th that season.

The majority of Reed’s sacks in 2020 came from a wide-nine alignment, sometimes starting on the outside shoulder of a tight end. He’s not the athlete Phillips or Chubb is as pass rushers but can utilize a nice speed rush and pursues plays to the end.

“Just a motor, never going to stop, always chasing down the ball even if it’s 30 yards downfield. He’s got some sneaky pass rush,” said tight end Eric Saubert, who played with Reed in Denver and also signed with the Dolphins.

Reed has a well-rounded game, too. In 2020, he logged 61 coverage snaps and 295 run defense snaps and graded out above average in both by advanced analytics sites. With his knowledge of Fangio’s scheme, Reed should provide quality depth on the edge.