Little was expected from the Miami Dolphins this season, as some suggested they would be the worst team in the league. Three games in, those predictions, though premature, seem to be correct. Miami is one of a handful of winless teams in the league with a 0-3 record. They are bottom of the league in both offense and defense, but some players believe it’s more than a lack of talent on the defensive side of the ball.
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The offense has struggled to start the season, a situation that’s only going to get worse after playmaking running back De’Von Achane was lost for the season after tearing an ACL in his knee. But the Dolphins defense ranks bottom five in the league in points given up per game (28.7), and the team is far and away the worst in the league in points differential after three games (-50).
And though the defense has struggled, several players have privately admitted that much of the situation is self-inflicted on that side of the ball. Multiple sources tell me that the players point to several factors that are making a bad situation worse, including:
1 – youth in the secondary
2 – scheme and playcalling on defense
Other than JuJu Brents, the fourth-year cornerback the Dolphins picked up on waivers from the Indianapolis Colts in 2025, the rest of the starters in the secondary are first or second-year players.
This includes cornerback Chris Johnson, selected in the first round this past April, as well as safety Michael Taaffe, chosen in Round 5. A pair of fifth-rounders from the 2025 draft, Dante Trader Jr. and Jason Marshall Jr., are listed on the depth chart as starters.
I was told this has led to confusion with defensive signals called on the field, missed assignments, and people aimlessly running around.
The bigger issue is that several players believe the team is running the wrong defense for the talent they have. Miami is the worst pass-rushing team in the league, and after three games, its defense has not registered a single sack, the only unit in the NFL that hasn’t caught the quarterback behind the line of scrimmage this season.
At the same time, they primarily employ a zone system in the secondary. That’s a lethal combination and largely why the Dolphins defense is allowing opposing signal callers an 80.3% completion rate, the worst in the league.
Multiple players have privately complained that the defense should line up in more man-to-man coverage, as it fits the talent on the field. Man coverage will also abate the team’s inability to get to opposing passers, and the players believe it will help significantly get the completion percentage down for the quarterbacks they face every week.
The Dolphins are a franchise in the midst of a major transition, and there are no easy answers or quick fixes. Yet talk to the players on defense, and they’ll tell you the team is shooting itself in the foot with the zone scheme they run every Sunday.