Miami Dolphins defense keeps core players, but is unit any better? | FinHeaven - Miami Dolphins Forums

Miami Dolphins defense keeps core players, but is unit any better?

DKphin

DKphin

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Timmons


Now, here we are with the meaty part of free agency having passed and the draft a mere five weeks away. And ...

The Dolphins defense doesn’t exactly scream improvement right now.

I mean, I don’t look at this unit and think, “wow this revamped group is going to cause problems for people in 2017.”

Why?

Because the Dolphins have taken the approach that if they are going to improve on defense, it will be done mostly by personnel already on the roster from a year ago and by draft picks not yet on the roster because they haven’t been drafted yet.
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Timmons will help. Alonso remaining in a system for consecutive years for the first time in his career will help. Jones coming back will help. Hayes contributing more than Mario Williams will help.

Zach Brown is immensely help. If not him then a top LB in the draft. Drafting a DE and a S in the first 3 rounds will help. Xavien Howard starting off as a starter from Day 1 will help.

Will it be enough? They can't be much worse than last year so it's probable IMO.
 
Have to get another LB. It's cool that Misi restructured but I'm not counting on him whatsoever. Losing IAQ will hurt.
 
DT is a huge concern for me, from what I've heard this is an awful draft for DT's. If we want to stop the run we need a good DT in there, not to mention what if Jordan Phillips goes down during the year. We are stuck with the same problem stopping the run, with better LBs to hopefully help.

---------- Post added at 10:53 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:51 AM ----------

I think at this point I spend my first 4 picks on DE, LB, G, FS and take BPA at those 4 spots each round. I personally would wait until later on FS simply bc I don't think it is that important of a position compared to the others.
 
The LBs alone should be a big improvement as it sits - no longer a huge liability. Timmons, a year wiser and healthier Kiko, and yes Misi too - that's a decent group vs 2016 gimpy Kiko and whoever's left on roster. Hewitt will be in a good role as backup probably. I know alot of folks are still worried about pass coverage from LB spot, but how many LB's out there are great in pass coverage? (really i don't know, but guessing a select few)
 
DuderinoN703 said:
Timmons will help. Alonso remaining in a system for consecutive years for the first time in his career will help. Jones coming back will help. Hayes contributing more than Mario Williams will help.

Zach Brown is immensely help. If not him then a top LB in the draft. Drafting a DE and a S in the first 3 rounds will help. Xavien Howard starting off as a starter from Day 1 will help.

Will it be enough? They can't be much worse than last year so it's probable IMO.
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They could be better than last year and still be very bad. Larsen might play better than Bushrod and that still doesn't mean anything. Our defense was horrible last year and adding one LB and what should be a back up FS will not make this a very good defense. Having said that if we can hit on at least 2 draft picks for our defense and EVERYONE stays healthy and Howard improves and Branch gets more than 5.5 sacks(1 every 3 games)AND we find a good DT to rotate then they will be better.....lots of ifs

Ozzy rules!!
 
Danny said:
They could be better than last year and still be very bad. Larsen might play better than Bushrod and that still doesn't mean anything. Our defense was horrible last year and adding one LB and what should be a back up FS will not make this a very good defense. Having said that if we can hit on at least 2 draft picks for our defense and EVERYONE stays healthy and Howard improves and Branch gets more than 5.5 sacks(1 every 3 games)AND we find a good DT to rotate then they will be better.....lots of ifs

Ozzy rules!!
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Nothing I said is different than what you're saying. I'm not expecting the defense to be good. Adding Poe/Brown would've helped for sure and if they draft a DE/S with their top pick I'd be even more confident. We'll see a month from now once the draft is over.
 
Marginally better. Talk about missed opportunities to improve the defense immensely, we literally had true difference makers in the building but we couldn't close. Oh well, I guess #KeepOurOwn takes precedent over any motivation to put a top defense on the field
 
If Miami got better on offense when they signed Hartline to a fat contract, then they got better on defense by signing Branch and Kiko, et al, to fat contracts.

Sigh.

Not a fan of signing mediocre talent to fat contracts just to "keep your own." NE got massively better. Miami moved backward by comparison while maxing out the cap. It's like Ireland is in control again.

A big fat MEH with all the off-season signing of Miami's substandard roster.

Miami had a scheme problem and a talent problem on D last year. So they decided to sign the same roster that gave them a talent problem and double down on the scheme with a less-talented DC.

And Miami doubled down on mediocre on O with Stills' fat contract, while NE moves for big time skill at the same position.

It's so hard being a Miami fan, sometimes -- being a Miami fan while understanding football evidently better than the FO -- again and again. Wish Miami had real football minds running the team. Not politically connected lawyers who are wannabees.

LD
 
I think getting Jones back will add synergy to Kiko's presence. Jones is also a leading tackler, paired with a healthy Alanso and Timmons, I see dramatic improvement stopping the run.
 
The defense was sub par last year, but some perspective is needed. We had friggin Spencer Paysinger apart of nickel packages. Reshard Jones lost early on. Having to sign a replacement level player like Rambo off the street, and actually start him. It was a mess.

What we need to do to need is improve this DT situation. Jordan Phillips is not going to cut it. All this wait for him to develop nonsense is exactly that....nonsense. He isn't very good up until this point. Have yet to see any real run stopping gap integrity from him. This is why he was losing snaps to Earl friggin Mitchell, who also stinks. I wouldn't be opposed to drafting McDowell or Brantley at 22 at this point.
 
Unfortunately, age and injuries diminish player effectiveness. This coming year, you have a slightly-less mobile Tannehill. Reshad Jones recovering from a torn labrum. Kiko Alonso broken thumb surgery. Koa Misi attempting a return from what was termed a career-threatening neck injury. Mike Pouncey and his oft-injured hips. These are all key positions where the backups were less than solid.

I think the Dolphins marginally improved on the overall talent front this offseason, but each year you have to improve more based on attrition. You need to keep infusing younger talent. Ideally you do that in the draft, so we'll see how they do.
 
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