Dolphins Defense Will Be Strength of Team Soon

The Miami Dolphins has steadily gotten better this season and the best is yet to come

The Miami Dolphins offense was the talk of the NFL in the first half of the 2023 season and for good reason, between Tua being an MVP front-runner, Tyreek on pace for 2,000 receiving yards, the insane production in the home opener against Denver, and all that speed.

But all along the Dolphins defense has been coming on, slowly but surely.

And it says here that before the end of the season, don't be surprised if it's the defense that's carrying the Dolphins.

"I think it's the most dangerous team in the AFC right now the Miami Dolphins," former NFL GM Michael Lombardi said during an appearance on the Pat McAfee Show. "I think they are really dangerous and here's why. They are going to be better in the second half of this season defensively than any team. It's coming. You can see Vic Fangio, his defense, he knows how to attack an offense. He knows how to make an offense play left-handed. They've got their front seven back and they can cover on the back end. They're faster on defense.

"They worry me in terms of their ability to be physical with their offense, but they can run the football really well. They can run the ball. And I think they're a little bit like Kansas City in the sense that everybody thinks they're an offensive team, but their defensive is sneaky."

DOLPHINS DEFENSE IS LOADED AND HEALTHY

We agree with everything Lombardi said there, except for the part about the Dolphins defense being "sneaky."

This is a defense that's got blue-chip talent at just about every level and the whole thing is coordinated by one of the most respected minds in the NFL in Vic Fangio.

Christian Wilkins is a Pro Bowl-caliber defensive tackle and Zach Sieler isn't far behind. Bradley Chubb and Jaelan Phillips are both quality edge defenders. Jalen Ramsey and Xavien Howard are flat-out elite cornerbacks. And  Jevon Holland is a rising star at safety, with some who would suggest he's already there.

And that defense is getting healthy at the right time.

Ramsey is getting ready to play his third game after his remarkable recovery from knee surgery. Phillips is getting more and more removed from the oblique and back injuries that slowed him in the first month of the season. Even backup safety Brandon Jones is back after missing the Kansas City game in Germany because of a concussion. And cornerback Nik Needham should be getting more and more comfortable after making his return from his 2021 Achilles injury.

The Dolphins did not have a single defensive player even so much as limited in practice this week, something that's practically unheard of for the middle of November. And look at the players on injured reserve and the only two from the defense are cornerback Keion Crossen, who may or may not have made the 53-man roster, and linebacker Zeke Vandenburgh, who was waived/injured.

In other words, the Dolphins have every player they thought they'd have in 2023.

STAGE SET FOR DOLPHINS DEFENSE

The Dolphins currently rank 12th in the NFL in total defense, giving up an average of 322.4 yards per game. But that average has steadily come down after a rough first month when the Dolphins allowed an average of 374.5 in their games against the Chargers, Patriots, Broncos and Bills.

In four of their past five games, the Dolphins held their opponents under 300 yards, the one exception being the game at Philadelphia when QB Jalen Hurts made a lot of things happen after the play broke down.

In their last outing, the Dolphins held Kansas City to 267 total yards, the Chiefs' lowest output since a December 2021 game against the Denver Broncos, whose head coach at the time was none other than Fangio.

And one reason to think the Dolphins' stinginess on defense will continue is the fact the next five quarterbacks they'll face are Aidan O'Connell, Zach Wilson, Sam Howell, Will Levis and Zach Wilson again — unless Aaron Rodgers miraculously is ready to play four months after tearing an Achilles tendon.

The final three games will have the Dolphins facing Dak Prescott, Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen, and those will be challenging no doubt.

But it says here the Dolphins will get into the top 10 in total defense before the end of the season and flirting with the top five isn't even out of the question.

The offense, meanwhile, is No. 1 by a solid margin through 10 weeks, but the nature of games tends to change down the stretch and it's not going to be easy to maintain its current pace of 435.3 yards per game.

The likelihood is the Dolphins absolutely will finish the season ranked higher in offense than defense, but everything is in place for the defense to take center stage by the end of the season.

What Impact Can Fangio Make for the Miami Dolphins In 2023? History Says a Big One