5 reasons the Dolphins still haven’t closed the gap with the Buffalo Bills

3. Gone with the Flo

Obviously bringing McDaniel in came after the very shocking decision to let go of Brian Flores as head coach. After going 19-14 in the past two seasons, as well as going 4-2 against his former mentor Belichick, it was one of the earliest moves that signaled the 2022 offseason would be built differently than most.

His class-action suit against the team and others in the NFL has stolen the headlines, but let’s talk about what he provided on the field.

In 2020, the Dolphins had a defense that led the league with 29 turnovers and 17 interceptions, ranked sixth in points allowed, and allowed the second-fewest touchdown passes in the league. Last season, Miami allowed the sixth least TD passes, recorded the fourth most fumbles, and ranked eighth overall in turnovers, resulting in the 10th ranked TO rate in the NFL.

Now I will admit, there’s still a ton of talent on that side of the ball. Jaelan Phillips, Emmanuel Ogbah, Christian Wilkins, Raekwon Davis, and Jerome Baker should hold things down for the front seven, while Xavien Howard, Byron Jones, and Javon Holland should lead one of the more elite secondaries in the game.

But how will Flores being gone impact things? I know DC Josh Boyer is still in the fold, but as a former New Englander with Flores, this is his first time calling plays without having a name like Belichick or Flores above his head.

Maybe the talent rules all here. But we’ve seen how coaching changes can impact for the worse as well. Does going from Jim Caldwell to Matt Patricia in Detroit ring a bell?