Secure the Defensive Backfield
There’s been a lot of negativity surrounding the Miami Dolphins. A decade of mediocrity will do that to a person and a fan base. However, one of the most pleasant surprises of the 2018 season for the team has been the play of their defensive backfield. The corps has easily been the best-performing group on the roster once they settled down, and the front office needs to ensure that this success is solidified and built upon. The top priority to that end is securing Pro Bowl cornerback Xavien Howard long-term.
Howard has been playing out of his mind this season and is a big part of why the Dolphins are still alive in the playoff picture. This team has survived by forcing turnovers in big spots, and Howard has led that charge with a league-leading 7 interceptions.
In 2019 Howard enters the final year of his rookie contract and wants to get paid. It should be an easy decision for the team to bring him back, right? Well, not so fast. In his pursuit of the payday he deserves, Howard has signed the agent who represented Jarvis Landry in his contract negotiations with the team. Hopefully, there’s no bad blood remaining between the two sides and they can get a deal done. I was adamant that Miami made the right decision in letting Landry walk, but they should not do the same with Howard. Pay the man.
Securing Howard long-term and avoiding a training camp holdout is only part one of securing the defensive backfield for the future. The team also needs to decide what they’re doing with former first-round pick Minkah Fitzpatrick long-term. Drafted to be the team’s starting safety opposite the likes of Reshad Jones and T.J. McDonald, Fitzpatrick was thrust into starting several games at the cornerback position. It’s a position he’s familiar with and he has performed admirably while there. Have there been hiccups? Absolutely. But you expect that from a rookie. Miami needs to decide whether Fitzpatrick moves back to safety or remains a corner.
Were the decision left up to me, FitzMagic would stay at cornerback. Here’s where things get funky. What I would like to see the 2019 Miami Dolphins do is shift their defensive philosophy to a sort of hybrid 6 DB base package. I would predicate this on Miami drafting a free safety who can play center field, but it would allow the team to maximize the talent they have. Both Jones and McDonald are much better when they’re allowed to play closer to the line of scrimmage. A six defensive back set would have both playing a “rover” type position moonlighting as linebackers. This would also mask some of the team’s deficiencies at linebacker. It would be a bold move. Bold is what you need when you’ve been toiling away as a franchise for a decade.
