Drive Time: 2024 Miami Dolphins Training Camp Preview Part 2 Defense

the best Dolphins camp coverage. When you can't get out here, don't listen to anybody else but you boy, come right back here for all the updates and the stories from the day as we recap media, coaches, press conferences, and of course all the action on the field. For training camp, we'll have Saturday off, comeback on Sunday, and do it again. And that's basically the cycle for the next month and a half. Three days on one day off, and then we get to the games and the schedule changes around

those as well. But you guys have seen the training camp schedule. It all kicks off on Wednesday with the closed practice that I will provide updates on Twitter after practice concludes.

enough last year? I think there's some misconceptions about how good the defense was and statistically it was pretty good, especially when you consider the points allowed that were kind of bloated by some offensive giveaways. I mean we had pick sixes last year too, had one in the Jets game. Mike White had one in the Panthers game. We had a punt return against the Buffalo Bills.

I mean, Travis Kelcey had a massive third down drop in the red zone that basically cost them four points. The Bills had the play at the end of the half I couldn't get in the end zone. A great play by Jerome Baker to make that happen, But Josh Allen has a propensity to do that. In fact, there was a play at the end of the half in the game at Buffalo in twenty twenty two where Allen ran around and expanded the entire clock, expired the entire clock,

and then threw a touchdown like a miraculous touchdown. So he does that and you can get him out of any point possibilities, and that happened. It seemed like all game long. A couple of picks in the end zone for the Bills in that game too, So I think that their efforts were valiant. I think it was a good defense. But I think that the last couple of games and how they performed in that Chiefs and Bills game kind of gave a different.

and that is tough to overcome. Or the Week four game against Buffalo where the offense went touchdown, touchdown, but the defense went touchdown, touchdown, touchdown, touchdown, Like, you can't allow twenty eight consecutive points to begin a game and expect to be in the game and expect your offense to match that on any given week. You don't care how good your offense is, scoring touchdowns on four consecutive possessions just does not happen in this league. So and

then the Eagles game more the same. They played really well against the Chiefs offense that kind of spluted out all year long. They held the Cowboys and Check at home, But most big games we saw are against big time quarterbacks, you know, playing passively against Justin Herbert and that Chargers offense in the opener to get ran all over for thirty four points like that was a common theme last year.

So I hope the plan is to stop that and to perform better in terms of getting quicker stops, getting the ball back to the offense, and not just trying to event seven points all the time, because even as you do that, you limit your offensive opportunities, you expend your defense's energy, and by the end of the game, maybe they have nothing left in the tank. So that's kind of my my five minute spiel on why last year's defense wasn't as good as a numbers suggested. Can

this year's defense be better than that? That's the hope. If they can. I have very very very very very very very high expectations for this team and where they can go. We start on the line up front, and we'll go ahead and kick it off with kind of the depth chart that I anticipate heading into camp, and it all circulates around Zach Sealer. He is the straw

that stirs the drink. He has been in my opinion, the nfls if you go on the last five years balance of just football coverage and production, and he gets his name in there more now than he did in the past. But with a double digit sack season, I think that Zach Sealer is the most underrated player in

the entire National Football Lead. And the production was there, maybe there's not the insane sizzle as a pass rusher in terms of like quick wins or embarrassing reps where he like crosses over a guy and puts him on

his butt. But he will play through you, and he'll get fourth down stops, and he'll stay in his gap and hold up against double teams, and he'll play eighty percent of your snaps and do it in a way that he just is so durable and reliable and tough and accountable and gives you the maximum effort every single snap. That's the guy you build a team around, and build a defensive front around. And I think it sucks that Pepper, as it were, is no longer here. His best buddy

and they made magic together. But I look at Kalaias Campbell's tape last year and it was as good, Okay, it was eighty five percent as good as Christian wilkins tape was last year. And he is probably just as flexible, maybe a little bit reduction in snap counts, although he's played like sixteen thousand snaps in his career, which is outrageous averages like seven hundred and sixty snaps a year over how many years has he been in the league fifteen. I don't even know what it is we just covered

when we talked to him in the podcast. But I digress. So those are the top two guys, like by far to me, that should play the most reps. And they can play you know, one shade, they can play three technique, they can play five like, they can do whatever you want across the defensive line and line up in any gap and play with positive leverage and power and keep their gap integrity that way. Beyond that, I think next

for me would be tier Tart. I think his explosiveness and quickness is much more replicatable of what Christian Wilkins's game was, and I think that that can really have a major impact when you factor in how much Campbell and Sealer combined can kind of eat up space and eat up blockers and create lanes to run through, which applies to the linebackers for sure, But let's say you're

giving Seiler or Campbell a spell. I think you can run some games and some picks where Tart is the looper and Campbell or Stealer is the pick man and get production that way. Next, I would go to Sean Hand, who I think quietly had a nice year in sort of a reserve role. I think a second year here with Austin Clark can help him better understand, you know, kind of how to play the style of defense that

he wants. And of course, Anthony Weaver comes from the defensive line background, and Weaver and Clark have been just two pis in the pods so far. Getting along in terms of how they want to coach this thing. I think Deshaun han could be one of the biggest beneficiaries of that. To me, that's the top four, and then I think there's a little bit of a drop off.

I probably say Benito Jones would be next in terms of significant snaps in the role, just because I think he does something that nobody else really on this team does in terms of being a three hundred and thirty five pounds space eater over the nose tackle position to just basically be a tree stump to allow all that activity and all that speed and athletic ability you have, whether it's Chubb and Phillips off the edge, or Shaq Barrett and Chop Robinson to come down and play a

nosebacker position to rush off of him, or it's Jordan Brooks and David Long in the second level firing downhill and doing all they can do to deconstruct walks and make free runs on running backs. And the quarterback has blitzers as well, so I think that his role factors

into that position. I do like the games of Neville Galimore and Jonathan Harris, who I think kind of check in that next category as guys that can be like three hundred, four hundred snap takers, can maybe have a spot start here and there and just give you quality play.

I think that Harris really kind of found a niche role as a five technique in some positions or situations last year some four to four I kind of from that five position outside the tackles shoulder to kind of condensing inside to you know, more over the guard type of positions. Whereas I think Gallimore is a three technique. I think that he played zero and one in Dallas

at an undersized weight. I think that was a mistake to play him at the three technique and what maybe some more five as well where he played at Oklahoma would be a better use of his skill set. And then from there, I kind of like Leonard Paine, the undrafted rookie out of Colorado who has a lot of explosiveness and can get a first some first step quickness,

which this entire group seems to really excel with. If you go and look at the athletic profile of not just the team or the defense, with the team in general,

they just got so much more athletic this year. And Leonard pain is one of those guys that kind of exemplifies that and how he flies around and puts pressure on offensive lines and makes early commitments to your pass protection slides and schemes that you have to kind of open up the gate on some of the other stuff because you have to deal with that first step quickness of a guy like Leonard Paine or tier Tart in that regard. After that, you know, added Isaiah Mack early.

that they really didn't have much. So you were thankful that neither of those guys missed games. And this year, if you can do the same, you'll just have a deeper rotation. We go to the linebacker position. Let's go, oh, off ball first. I usually go edge first. We'll go We'll go ahead and start off ball here. To make it a more no you know what, we are going to go edge because there is more edge guys check

that going to the edge position group here. We'll start with the top and this one is a little bit convoluted because of injuries. Heading into the new campaign, I anticipate Jalen Phillips will be an opening day starter. I don't think that they'll be the same case for Bradley Chubb. We'll find out, but I think the Chill will be back a little bit later, kind of more in line with his injury occurring on New Year's Eve opposed to Jalen Phillips's on was it Black Friday?

National Football League. And they do it because they are massive, they're strong, they're long armed, and their mindset is, we can play the edge, working outside to m to help prevent these wide runs and also get back over the top of the block to hit b gaps. And whether it's a windbacker or a back that decides to bang a post to bounce it outside, and all of that kind of fall secondary to elite past rush ability that can win from a variety of positions in that regard too.

They can go hand in the dirt, they can go stand up linebacker, they can drop into coverage. They can also condense down into three techniques and rush the guard and put those guys on their butts and create chances that way. I think about how this group might look in terms of, Hey, it's third and twelve, why don't we put Bradley and JP head up over the three techniques and have them bowl rush the guards inside and then roll out the variety of potential edgebrushers you have

beyond that off the outside. And if you can tell by the difference in the tone or the microphone here had to jump on for a quick edit because, as you guys all know by now, over the weekend, news came down that Chack Garret was going to go ahead and call it a career And look, let's go ahead and first start with this best of luck to Shack and retirement. As I'm sure most of you know, tragedy struck in his household a couple of years ago and

he lost his young daughter. He signed with Dolphins back in free agency and before the new league year or before the new season began, said you know what, my heart's not in this.

that bit of news here real quick. So first off, from the great Kyle Krabs talking about the contract impact of this decision of the retirement, that there will be a savings of four point five million dollars in void cap in twenty twenty five this part of this contract, but'll also recover two and a half million dollars this year.

a spot at this position. But I just want to touch on this. It is not a nothing loss. It is not the biggest loss. This is not Jalen Ramsey going down for eight weeks of the season on day two of training camp. This is not one of your high powered offensive stars going down. This is a guy

that was going to start early probably most likely. I mentioned, I think that JP's on good track to get some rep before this season begins, and we'll see if he starts opening day, but I think there's a really good chance for that to be a possibility.

But it's not the end of the world. I mean, it's just not like I saw. I was on the golf course when I saw this news break and I saw that there was some reactions on Twitter and whatnot. And you know, I guess that's how it's going to be every time some news or a player loss or an injury, like that's that's how it goes. I get it, but it's a loss. It's not a huge loss. Wish the best for Shack and retirement him. On the podcast a while back was was so good.

Mohammed Kamara. You talk about first up explosiveness. I could see him being part of that like NASCAR package where it's like, hey, Mo, go give us eight snaps a game where you just light your freaking hair on fire and you guys heard him the podcast. The guy is an absolute maniac in his personal and how he played. I love, love, love love a person nowady like Muhammad Kamara. Hey go light your hair on fire and chase quarterbacks

for eight snaps a game. Hey go get Josh Allen and just run him down, Like what if Mo Kamara is the spy or Chop Robinson. Again, that increased athletic ability of those of these rooms, I think better suits us to defend quarterbacks like that that have given us so much issues in the past, whether it's Josh Allen, whether it's Lamar Jackson, whether it's Jalen hurts On the schedule last year, so that's I think a big benefit

for this group. I'll go with Kamara five. I think Cam Good would be next for me if he were healthy, but we'll see how quickly he can get back. He had a pretty devastating injury in the Buffalo game, so we'll see how he looks coming back off the injury. The one to not sleep on here, and in fact, I probably bump him up to the four to five

range more than the six range. I have men right here is Cam Brown because he had a really good ota where he just looked good on the individual drills against the bags, holding the edge in the running game in these non padded practices, which is kind of tough, but you can see technique that these guys play with. You know, you're gonna get told throughout camp, oh there's

no pad. You can't learn from that. Yes, you can just watch football and understand football and ask a coach what they learn like they if you couldn't take anything away from it, they wouldn't have those practices. But Cam Brown's ability to like long arm and keep the outside arm open to you know, to get off those blocks and make plays off the edge. It's the same thing as Chubb and Phillips I talked about he is so good set in the edge, and then go watch his

special teams tape. He is going to have a role on this football team, and he right now going into camp is kind of one of the guys I have circled as a player that you don't know about or haven't heard about, or never hear talked about that will surprise and will make plays in preseason and will make plays in training camp, and all of a sudden, come opening Day, it's like, oh yeah, Cam Brown's a big part of this football team. After that, I think Grayson

Murphy can play like this whole room. I think Grayson Murphy has a future in this league, whether it's here or somewhere else because of how deep this group is. He just has a really good arsenal of pass rush moves. He's got a great head in his shoulders. You heard him back on draft time a few weeks ago, where he was just really sharp and a fun conversation. And then Quentin Bell top to Botim, I love this room because Quentin Bell was a guy that was earning like

practice squad player of the Week frequently last year. He did have a freak injury in the indoor facility in one practice that just like robbed him of the rest of the season where I think he was getting close to some elevations with how limited that group was. Keep an eye on Quinton Bell as well. Every guy in this room I think can play in the National Football League.

And it's gonna be coached by Ryan Crow, who I think Dolphins fans are gonna get a great dose of Ryan Crow and see just what he offers in terms of leadership and intensity because he brings that stuff every single day. All right, first break right there, we'll come back on the other side. We'll do linebackers, defensive backs, and special teams here on this podcast. Still, that's all next Draft Time podcast, your host Travis Wingfield, brought to you by Auto Nation, d line and edge positions in

the bag. That means we have the second level and third level of the defense still to discuss. We'll also do special teams here, even though again, as you guys know, I don't have a lot to offer on special teams. It's gonna be a fun training camp though, trying to get through what the kickoffs look like, because no one really seems to know yet what that's gonna look like. And we saw some of it in o Ta's It

was cool. It was a different experience, and I'm very excited to see how that plays out in the NFL, which you know NFL. I talked about us on the podcast last week about how disappointed I am the content standpoint in the NFL media side of things, lopping off what to me was the best football podcast from an entertainment perspective. But one thing the NFL does really well is they adapt their rules and game to adjust to what needs to be done. So hopeful that new kickoff

rule has a fun impact. Let's go ahead and talk about some players that could see some time on those kickoffs here on special teams because this linebacker group, I mean, look team employee, like Dolphins fan my whole life, typically have always taken the positive side. You're gonna say, like, oh, you're just hyping things up here, but dude, like, where

is the flaw here? Man? We just talked about an edge group that I like every single player and love the top of that and think the top four or five guys in that rotation is the best in the National Football League. When Healthy talked about Sealer and Campbell and a good rotation behind those guys to give you good depth and you know, just rotation. Look at this linebacker room and I see two studs. I see a

guy that has a very defined role. I see a great special teamer, and then one guy who's trying to kind of get his feet wet and maybe has a future down the road, but it hasn't happened for him yet. Like it's it's basically the way you want to see a room built. So we go down this group here. To me, Jordan Brooks is the leader of the room. He's got the most production. And David Long's like right there.

I think he could go either or. But Jordan Brooks's instincts and ability to play coverage and ability to fire downhill and see things and anticipate the way a great quarterback does, I think stands out in so many ways. He takes great angles, he arrives with tenacity, He can time up a rush off the edge as a blitzer.

He can fall into coverage and play the hook and carry a tight end or a big receiver down the seam twenty yards and make a play on that football and then trigger back and flip his hips and get down hill and come get the running back on a checkdown. Just a lot of really good skills in Jordan Brooks's game that to me kind of exemplifies what Anthony Weaver might want in a linebacker in terms of how we saw it with ro Quand Smith and Patrick Queen and Baltimore.

Just like super Flexible can really expand that hook zone from a defensive standpoint and also get downhill and play a physical brand of football while he can blitz cover and defend the run. David Long, I mean, you guys saw it last year. I just his instincts for the position are so rare and so unique and how he sees it and he reads the key and goes man. There is no hesitation in his game. He can get

into the backfield untouched. I have not seen many linebackers that play his size that can deconstruct blocks the way he can by slipping them or.

to big gap banger. He can play that hooks on a little bit not as much depth and flexibility going backwards, but maybe you know, put your feet, plant your feet in the ground and play going forward downhill in the run play action game and maybe check a running back or a tight end in that short hook or the

curl flat areas out to the perimeter. I think that when they go three backers, which doesn't happen too frequently in this league, I think Walker is kind of one of those guys that comes in and just gives you a really stout run defender, especially in short yards, kind of like a Landon Roberts was for so many years. I think he's a more athletic, a little bit more well equipped in the coverage game a Landon Roberts than E.

was good against the Titans as well without Baker. But his biggest prowess to me is on special teams. I thought he really shined in that role before he got the promotion to defense. So I think I would look out for him to be a key contributor on those new kickoffs and kind of be a guy that helps this special teams unit take that next step that needs to be taken under coach Crossman, and then Channing Tendall will be next. For me. He had one day at camp and OTAs that was like, WHOA, where has that

been all this time? Otherwise relatively quiet, but he has all the traits you could want, speed, explosiveness.

for a new right tackle. And now he's a new contract in a lunch pin of the offensive line, and Austin Jackson Ken Chang Tendall take that route. I don't think you can just say, oh, it's happened to Austin Jackson, so it's gonna happen to Chang Tendall. But I don't give up on players after two years just because you know, the mental side hasn't clicked yet.

of years there in Green Bay. Let's do cornerbacks and then we'll take a break and finish up with safties and special teams. I mean, stop me if you've heard this before. I think this room is pretty good. It starts with Jalen Ramsey, who is I talked about on the AC East Recap podcast. To me, is the best,

the best defensive player in the division. I think he's I think he's still the best cornerback in the NFL because of his flexibility, because he can play safety, because he can play buck line, because he can play the star position, because he can play on the flanker against Garrett Wilson and lock him down for an entire game. He is elite in his preparation, in his mindset, as a teammate, in his involvement. He is so committed to

the Miami Dolphins. He is physically one of the best players I've ever seen in my entire life from a length and explosiveness standpoint. He anticipates, he knows how to prevent getting stacked. He knows when he can drive on balls and how he can recognize route concepts and get himself in position before the ball even gets there. Elite player and I've harped on this so damn much. I can't wait to watch it in training camp. Kendall Fuller

is the number two cornerback for me, hands down. And I don't even think you have to necessarily dictate who your slot cornerback is because both of these guys are maybe as good in the slot as they are on the perimeter, and that can just help you every single

week dictate matchups how you want to. Typically the offense is the one who dictates matchups, but defensively, when you have guys that can do this, and I would put Javon Hall in this category as well, which three absolute studs and coverage that can play anywhere on defense, the offense has to account for that, and I think they're gonna have to against Ramsey Fuller, excuse me, and the rest of the defensive backfield here and with Kendall Fuller

just the instincts for the position, it's basically copy and paste of Ramsey Sands. All the physical skills that I raved about which are are there, They're just not quite

as unique and rare as what Ramsey features. But from an intellectual standpoint, I think these guys are gonna drive the scheme and they're gonna really be dependent upon these two guys's flexibility to create game plans that are tailored specifically for each team to shut down what those teams do well because of Ramsey and Fuller's flexibility on the back end. And then I mentioned the slot cornerback. I

don't think you have to determine. I think the Cater Coohu and camp Smith battle figures to be maybe one of the most intriguing in all of camp and I look at Cater's ability to play inside as a benefit to him, whereas Cam's ability to play on the perimeter is a benefit to him.

the technique in the coverage. But I think that he can really bounce back and find his rookie year form again and be that player for you where Cam Smith, like gosh, watching him glide around and practice at camp, it didn't translate to games, and we saw him kind of take the cheese on double moves of time or two here or there. But he's physical, he seems to

understand route concepts and how he can take chances. And I hope a fresh slate here for him can really produce in year two because I think those two guys, it's a big year for both cater and Cam Smith, and if neither of them can kind of find their footing in that role, then I think that Ethan Bonner has a chance to be a dude because I saw much of the same in terms of how he can kind of mix his looks and show you, hey, I'm gonna press up and plays play a man against you.

But all of a sudden, the snap bail out and I'm zone turning and playing off coverage, and now the quarterback has a different picture in the receiver has his release playing kind of thrown off pace, and then he's incredibly fast. We saw him get over the top of the formation in that Kansas City game and make a big tackle before the sticks he finds the football had a big force fumble in that game as well, So I think that his I think there's something there with Ethan Bonner.

that group. Although he is a special teamer, you know, true and true like some of the best special teams tape in the National Football League, who you know, I wouldn't say it's like Key on Crossman, where if you put him on defense, it's going to be that look like that, but I think that he can do more for you there and more on special teams, but kind

of in that same vein. And then I would look towards I like Isaiah Johnson and Storm Duck's college tape, but you know, UDFA is trying to crack this room, going to be tough. I think i'd probably go with Storm Duck as the one that could do it. I would put them in the same group as Jason my Tray, who's also here, was a late addition to the team.

So that's the room there. It's coached by Matthew Arujo and assistant DB's coach to Shan Shed getting this group ready to go to make a run of this thing here and hopefully that that Ramsey in fuller connection mat I think it's gonna be a big impact on this defense. Let's go ahead and take our last break right there. Come back on the other side and do one more segment before training camp. We'll do safeties and specialists. That is next Draft Time podcast, your host Travis Wingfield, brought

to you by Auto Nation. It has been well documented on this podcast. I tweet about it less these dayly. I put some ig stories up that your boy is basically playing the South Florida Majors all week long. In fact, my schedule we're gonna be into this already as far as golf goes, is Monday the fifteenth, Plantation Preserve, Tuesday or Wednesday. I don't have plans yet, but I'll probably go play a solo round somewhere by myself Wednesday, no

no check that. Thursday, gonna go play Normandy Shores in Miami. Friday gonna go play Miami Beach Golf Club, also in Miami. I think Saturday is gonna be either back to Preserve or at Miami Shores, and then Sunday my last hurrah at my home course, Pembrooke Lake. So if you want to come out and play some golf, that's where I'm gonna be. I guess this is already late into that, So this weekends when you're gonna get a chance to come out and play some golf. But the goal is to average eighty two.

Two for my money, questionable golf swing, but he's getting there now.

to find a way to maximize that better. And we know that last year's presentation with static present the exact same look. Every snap will rotate from there. I think Javon's ability to line up in multiple places. I mean, go back to that Baltimore game in twenty twenty one when he was down on line of scrimmage and coming after Lamar Jackson, Like, why would we not utilize that more frequently and find more ways to get him involved

in different areas of the game. I think your entire room here, your entire purpose should be to free up Javon halland to go make plays. Whether it's in the post, whether it's in the slot, whether it's in the box. He can do anything and everything, and he will help this room kind of go and I look at the next two guys to me or Jordan Poyer and Marcus Maykin of interchangeable in terms of the skill sets for me,

both physical, both love to come down and hit. Marcus may really really supports the run super well and can make an occasional play in the football. But going vertical and coverage, I think that's kind of a saft spot

for those two guys. So I don't want to I don't expect to see either of them playing in the post alone this season outside of a couple of occurrences and even some two high splits where they probably going to play more robber role and try to play forward opposed to going back and also limit their exposure to

man coverage and slot positions or the like. So I think that those three together, Holland, Poyer and May have a really good collection of skills that complement each other in what would be a big Nickel package right five defensive backs. Three of those guys are safeties. You'll play

three safeties and two perimeterive cornerbacks. Like I can see a lot of defense this year where it's Holland, Poyer, May and then Ramsey and Fuller because what we talked about like there's a kind of drop off there at cornerback after those two guys because they're both all world

and nobody else in the room is yet. And then it say like Javon Hollins all world, Poyer may have a specific role, and then from there it's like an experienced safety Nick Needum or you know Elijah Campbell who's played a lot of special teams, not as many reps on defense. But I think those three guys in your big nickel would be a very impressive group. I think Elijah Campbell could slot into one of those roles and

if needed in case of an injury. I think that his tackling ability and there's was some range last year he showed as well that shows up on special teams, but also on defense. I think need him is probably

your next post player. If something were to happen to Javon and he doesn't you know, he misses some games like he did last year, I think he has the best ability to kind of range silent the sideline and see the game from that position, but also tackle well in that critical position on the football field.

on this defense. The defensive backs and past game specialist coach is Ryan Slowick. He was with the outside linebackers last year, very very well regarded in the building as a coach, and there's a reason that he's back under a new coaching staff. Here specialist Jason Sanders, Jake Bailey, and Blake Ferguson. They play football like I don't know. Man.

Bradford the new assistant special teams coach here. I think that the biggest addition to this group was just the overall names in terms of back end of the roster, guys that can be core special teamers, like you know, Duke Riley got kind of pulled off that late in the year last year. Saran Neil's gonna be the ace of that room, you know, alec Ingold's role in that position. I think Durham Smyth because of John Neus Smith and

Jody Fortson can play more on special teams. Cam Brown again, Cam Brown's gonna be a big impact player on special teams, maybe even defense as well. New kickoff rule is gonna be so much fun. I can't wait to watch how they attack it. That's gonna be the biggest thing for me to watch in training camp. Sometimes it's just how the special teams look.