NFL: Breaking down the 2015 Miami Dolphins
By Andrew Garda
Defensive line
Starters: Cameron Wake, Anthony Johnson, Earl Mitchell, Ndamukong Suh, Olivier Vernon
Depth: Derrick Shelby, Jordan Phillips (rookie), AJ Francis, Terrence Fede, Emmanuel Dieke, Kamal Johnson, Deandre Coleman, Ray Drew (rookie), Kendall Montgomery (rookie), Ellis McCarthy (rookie)
The first thing you might notice is there are five starters, but no I don’t expect to see a 5-2 or something out of the Dolphins, or at least not frequently. Ourlads.com has the listing at five, and my guess is that they (like most of us) are not sure of the rotation with Anthony Johnson and Earl Mitchell, the two interior linemen not named Ndamukong Suh.
That’s not to say there won’t be five-man fronts—like everyone else, the Dolphins run hybrid schemes. Just that their base is unlikely to be something you see in High School and Pop Warner leagues.
This is an exciting group. Cameron Wake and Olivier Vernon are coming off good 2014 seasons (Wake’s could be called ‘fantastic’) and the two combined for 18 pf the Dolphins’ 39 sacks. Add Ndamukong Suh in there with his 7 sack average and you have a defensive line which will create a lot of pressure.
Which should serve to help the outside linebackers do the same, as offensive lines will have to concentrate to shut down the defensive line, freeing the linebackers up a little.
If Johnson and Mitchell cannot improve upon their 2014 season, rookie Jordan Phillips could step in. the second round player looks the part and can stuff the run well, but he disappears from time to time on tape. He needs to pump up his effort and play with a higher motor, in which case he could be a special player.
The pressure generated by this defensive line should remain top-notch and be a big help against teams within their own division as well as the Indianapolis Colts, San Diego Chargers and the NFC East teams they face in 2015, all of whom have tough passing offenses.
Next: Linebackers