The Miami Dolphins are definitely strong contenders in the AFC East this season, and Colin Cowherd recently went so far as to say they’ll win the division, but not for the reason fans might immediately think.
Cowherd said the Dolphins’ hiring of Vic Fangio to be their defensive coordinator will be one of the main reasons they will separate themselves from their division rivals, especially the Buffalo Bills.
“A, this whole Stefon Diggs cancel minicamp thing is a bigger story than people are letting on,” Cowherd said at the 1:10 mark. “That is weird. Secondly, Vic Fangio’s defense, the people I trust in the league say he is the best acquisition Miami made, not Jalen Ramsey. He said, ‘Watch that defense. It’s getting copied all over the league.’ Also, I get an offensive coach, Mike McDaniel, against a defensive coach, and I watched McDaniel outcoach him three times last year, and I think Miami’s better, and I’m not sure Buffalo is.”
Fangio could put Miami over the top this season. The Dolphins were 9-8 and lost to the AFC East champion Bills in the first round of the playoffs after splitting the two games they played in the regular season.
Getting to work with Ramsey, a star cornerback who was acquired in a trade with the Los Angels Rams in March, will undoubtedly help Fangio’s unit. Miami ranked 24th in scoring defense last season under defensive coordinator Josh Boyer, who was fired following the playoff loss.
Fangio was a consultant for the NFC champion Philadelphia Eagles last season after he was fired as head coach of the Denver Broncos following the 2021 season. He officially joined the Dolphins in February and reportedly will be the highest paid coordinator in the NFL.
Teaming the heralded defensive mind of Fangio with the offensive acumen of McDaniel could be a perfect recipe for the Dolphins, who are trying to win the AFC East for the first time since the 2008 NFL season.
Cowherd’s prediction of a division title for the Dolphins comes with a possible addition of Dalvin Cook still looming. The running back, who is a free agent after being released by the Minnesota Vikings, has long been linked to the Dolphins, and the Miami native would provide yet another weapon to an offense headlined by receivers Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle.
The Miami defense features Jaelan Phillips and Christian Wilkins in the front seven and Jevon Holland, Xavien Howard and Kader Kohou along with Ramsey in the secondary.
The Dolphins should be one of the most intriguing teams to watch throughout the season.
