Report: Miami Dolphins plan to make changes to defensive staff

The Miami Dolphins’ 2022 season came to an end at the hands of the Buffalo Bills on Sunday, and the organization’s focus is now on the offseason.

With that in mind, the Dolphins are reportedly expected to make some staff changes on defense. Many of the current defensive staff members are holdovers from the Brian Flores era, with the most notable one being defensive coordinator Josh Boyer.

Boyer took plenty of heat all season long from Dolphins fans, as the squad’s pass defense disappointed often, allowing 234.8 yards through the air per contest.

The run defense, however, was pretty stellar, allowing only 103.0 yards per contest, good enough for fourth in the league. Players like Christian Wilkins, Zach Sieler and Jaelan Phillips helped out in that regard. All three of the aforementioned players will likely continue playing key roles for the Dolphins next season.

While the season certainly didn’t go the way they hoped, the Dolphins have to be happy that they made it back to the playoffs for the first time since the 2016 season and were competitive in their wild-card game against the Bills.

Sunday’s game had the makings of a blowout early on, but the Dolphins kept fighting and even took the lead in the third quarter. Turnovers forced by Boyer’s defense got the team back into the game, and one can only wonder if the adjustments he made during the contest will be enough to convince head coach Mike McDaniel and the team’s front office that he should return next season.

It’ll be a big offseason for the Dolphins as they hope to improve the roster enough to become true contenders in the AFC. The base of the team is set, and Tua Tagovailoa is expected to be the team’s starting quarterback next season.

Miami has a lack of draft capital due to trades for Tyreek Hill and Bradley Chubb, but it still has a few draft picks in the 2023 NFL Draft. The Dolphins will be wanting to have a draft as successful as the one they had in 2021, which netted them Phillips, Jaylen Waddle and Jevon Holland. With only four selections in the upcoming draft, there isn’t much margin for error.

Cap space shouldn’t end up being an issue, as the team can restructure contracts, make trades and release some players in order to free up money.

Dolphins fans will be keeping a close eye on what staff changes end up taking place, as the moves will surely have a big impact on the team’s 2023 season.