Mike McDaniel breaks his silence as Miami Dolphins land new defensive coordinator

Anthony Weaver will be the new defensive coordinator of the Miami Dolphins. The former Baltimore Ravens assistant coach will replace Vic Fangio, who saw his time with the Dolphins end after just one season.

Weaver will be the third defensive coordinator in three seasons under Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel. Josh Boyer manned the position as a holdover from Brian Flores’ staff when McDaniel took over in 2022, and Fangio reportedly was the highest-paid coordinator in the NFL in the 2023 season. Weaver and McDaniel were on the same staff with the Cleveland Browns years ago.

The Dolphins head coach offered his thoughts on the new hire.

Weaver has 12 seasons of experience as an NFL coach, including time with the Buffalo Bills and New York Jets from the AFC East. He reportedly was among those considered for the head-coaching positions with the Atlanta Falcons and Washington Commanders that were recently filled.

A defensive end during his playing days, Weaver played seven seasons in the NFL with the Ravens and Houston Texans. Baltimore recently promoted Zach Orr to its defensive coordinator position after Mike Macdonald left to become head coach of the Seattle Seahawks.

The Dolphins have to be hoping that Weaver’s hire will end their revolving door at the position. Fangio was brought in with a reputation as one of the best defensive minds in the game, and while the Dolphins certainly improved in some areas under him, they never became a truly dominant unit.

Several key injuries throughout the 2023 season – including to cornerback Jalen Ramsey and pass rushers Bradley Chubb and Jalean Phillips – may have held the unit back. In addition, reports have surfaced since Fangio’s departure revealing other disconnects.

One report indicated the veteran coach would not let position coaches present their work to the defense on their own. Another suggested that some defensive players were reluctant to put in the work to be successful, which drew a response from Ramsey.

That is all in the past now as the Dolphins defense will be looking to improve even further under Weaver, who hopefully will be around for more than just one season.