The Miami Dolphins’ defensive rebuild took on major additions this past week via free agency. Most of the team’s damage was done in the front seven — Miami tacked on defensive ends Emmanuel Ogbah and Shaq Lawson to help fortify the team’s run defense and ability to collapse the pocket. Sprinkle in linebackers Kyle Van Noy, Kamu Grugier-Hill and Elandon Roberts and the Dolphins suddenly possess a fair amount of depth in the box.
In the secondary? The Dolphins tacked on cornerback Byron Jones but one of the team’s reported targets apparently spurned Miami for a chance to return to his prior team, the New England Patriots.
Boston Globe reporter Ben Volin has reported that the Dolphins were among the teams to make a run at free safety Devin McCourty — offering him a contract only to see him return to the Patriots. While this development is somewhat disappointing, it isn’t necessarily unexpected. And, more importantly, the Dolphins’ confirmed interest in McCourty seems to indicate that the Dolphins may not be done addressing the secondary and hope to add a true deep safety to their presence in the secondary.
If the Dolphins do indeed land a free safety like LSU’s Grant Delpit in the 2020 NFL Draft, it will free up Bobby McCain to return to the nickel role and allow the Dolphins ample flexibility on the back end of their defense. That flexibility in the secondary will allow Flores to be more aggressive and creative with how he draws up pressure schemes — and everyone wins. But first the Dolphins need to secure an upgrade at free safety, which seems to be lingering as a remaining objective of the team between now and the presumed start of the 2020 NFL season this fall.