In what can be viewed as Mike McDaniel’s first controversial decision as the Miami Dolphins’ newly hired head coach, Josh Boyer will return as the team’s defensive coordinator.
Miami had interest in landing former Denver Broncos defensive coordinator Vic Fangio, a respected defensive mind, to lead the defense, but a deal couldn’t get done.
As a result, Boyer, who is beginning his 17th season as an NFL assistant and fourth with the Dolphins, will coordinate Miami’s defensive for a third straight season, according to league sources.
In his first season as the defense’s playcaller, Boyer directed the unit to a sixth-place finish in the NFL. The Dolphins led the NFL in turnovers (29), third-down defense (31.2 conversion rate) and allowed 21.1 points per game.
But that unit struggled in the first half of the 2021 season, and the issues got so bad Boyer was stripped of his playcalling duties and responsibilities in November, according to multiple team sources.
Brian Flores, who the Dolphins fired after his third season, took over as Miami’s defensive playcaller, and worked with recently fired secondary coach Gerald Alexander to coordinate Miami’s coverage.
With that approach the Dolphins began to play better in the second half of the season, primarily because the unit got back to playing more zone coverage, moved Jerome Baker to outside linebacker and started utilizing its blitzing package better. The transition began with a 22-10 win over the Baltimore Ravens, and helped the team win eight of its final nine games.
The changes created a rift in Miami’s coaching staff, which players openly admit became an issue late in the season. Boyer’s retention led to Alexander’s firing on Thursday, and a couple more defensive assistants will likely be let go in the coming days.
After Boyer was stripped of his playcalling duties, the Dolphins closed the season by holding opponents to fewer than 300 passing yards in 10 consecutive games for the first time since 2017.
At one point, between weeks 15-17, the Dolphins held their opponents to 20 consecutive third-down stops.
Last season, Miami finished one sack shy of a team record of 49 sacks, which was set in 1983. The 48 sacks were tied for fifth most in the NFL in 2021 and the Dolphins had 14 different players record at least a half-sack.
Miami also led the NFL in passes defensed (88) and ranked second in quarterback hits (121).
The Dolphins ranked 15th in yards allowed (337.5), 18th in points allowed per game (21.9), 20th in third-down defense (41.1 percent conversion rate) and 11th in red-zone defense (52.6 percent of opponents’ opportunities result in touchdowns).
That means the defense, which has carried this franchise for nearly two decades, has plenty of work to do, and it starts with rebuilding the linebacker unit.
The direction they go moving forward depends on plenty of factors, starting with whether Miami will re-sign Emmanuel Ogbah, who led the team with nine sacks and had a career-high 12 passes defensed in 2021. It was the most by an NFL defensive lineman since 2016.
Linebackers Elandon Roberts and Duke Riley are also free agents, and the Dolphins must address cornerback Xavien Howard’s contract, which the Pro Bowl cornerback got adjusted last season when he informed the franchise he wasn’t going to play without a raise.
The Dolphins added incentives that raised his salary from $12 million to $14 million, and Howard will likely seek another pay increase, a new deal or a trade.