The Miami Dolphins have clearly made improving their defense a priority this season and already executed big changes to that side of the ball from a coaching perspective. The latest change is the addition of former Los Angeles Chargers defensive coordinator Renaldo Hill.
Hill will now work under Dolphins defensive coordinator Vic Fangio.
Chargers’ DC Renaldo Hill is leaving LA to reunite with Miami defensive coordinator Vic Fangio and become the Dolphins defensive pass-game coordinator, per source. Hill was Fangio’s top target and out of respect to his former boss, Chargers’ HC Brandon Staley allowed his…
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) February 20, 2023
Hill has some familiarity with the Dolphins organization, as he spent three seasons with the team as a player from 2006 to 2008. The 44-year-old also spent the 2018 season with the squad as an assistant defensive backs coach.
Though the Dolphins were seen as a powerful defensive-minded team under the regime of former head coach Brian Flores, things changed dramatically last season under current head coach Mike McDaniel.
McDaniel helped overhaul the offense for the better, but the defense did show some worrisome signs of regression. The Dolphins allowed 23.5 points per game last season, good enough for 24th in the league.
The hope is that the trend will end this upcoming season thanks to Fangio and an overhauled defensive staff.
Schemes and coaching can only go so far, however, and the Dolphins may need to commit what little draft capital they have this offseason to the defensive side of the ball.
The team could also look into acquiring some proven veteran talent through free agency.
Either way, the fact that the Dolphins have already put so much emphasis on improving the defense is a great sign. Clearly, general manager Chris Grier feels good about where his team is offensively.
After all, when all key members were healthy last season, the Dolphins offense was one of the most electric in the entire league.
An improvement on the defensive side of things could make the Dolphins really hard to beat.
The team finally got over the hump and ended its lengthy playoff drought last season. However, Tua Tagovailoa’s absence in the team’s lone playoff game certainly hindered its ability to really make noise in the postseason.
Hopefully, with a healthy Tagovailoa and improved defense, the Dolphins will be a force to reckon with in the 2023 season and beyond.
A lot of work still needs to be done to get to that place, but it seems like the all-important foundations are being set in the right way.
