Many nuggets on Dolphins’ defense Sunday: snap counts, grades, takeaways

The first game results for Jeff Hafley’s Dolphins defense ran the gamut, from the excellent (interceptions from Michael Taaffe and Dante Trader Jr.) to the atrocious (first-half run defense).

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There was also history made: Two Dolphins rookies had 10 or more tackles in their NFL debuts, something that had never been done in the NFL since the league first started tracking tackles in 1994.

Second-round rookie linebacker Jacob Rodriguez had 14 — the most by a Dolphins rookie since fellow Texas Tech alum Zach Thomas had 16 in the second game of his career against Arizona in 1996.

First-round rookie cornerback Chris Johnson had 11 tackles, including one for loss. Though he made an excellent run stop early in the game, several of those tackles came downfield — an indication of the front seven’s struggles defending the run at times, particularly in the first half.

Only twice before have two Dolphins players had 10 tackles in the same game in any game during their rookie seasons. Shawn Wooden and Thomas did it in Oakland in December 1996, and Jerome Baker and Minkah Fitzpatrick did it in September 2018.

Rodriguez and Johnson were the only Dolphins who played all 68 defensive snaps.

More news and notes, by position, on the defense, including snap counts and Pro Football Focus grades:

Linebacker

While Rodriguez played every snap, Brooks played 67 (all but one). Willie Gay Jr. played when the team was in a 4-3 and logged 41 defensive snaps. Jackson Woodard played one snap.

PFF rated Brooks second, Rodriguez ninth and Gay 16th among the 20 Dolphins who played on defense.

But the website rated Rodriguez below average against the run (16th overall among 20 Dolphins defenders). He was solid pass coverage, allowing two of three targets to be caught for seven yards.

Brooks permitted all five of his targets to be caught, but for just 24 yards. And PFF graded Brooks as Miami’s top front seven run defender on the day.

Gay allowed the one pass in his coverage area to be caught, for 12 yards.

Defensive tackle and defensive end

The eye test and the Raiders’ domination of the line of scrimmage in the first half left the strong impression that it wasn’t a particularly good day for the Dolphins’ young defensive tackles. PFF largely disagreed, rating Zeek Biggers fifth and Jordan Phillips sixth overall among 20 Dolphins defenders, even though they couldn’t quickly enough shake free from blockers on several running plays in their area.

Biggers came into the NFL as a defensive tackle, but the Dolphins started him at defensive end, opposite Chop Robinson. That was a change from the depth chart, which listed Josh Uche — and not Biggers — as a starter.

Among the defensive linemen (including the edge players), Zach Sieler played 48 snaps, Biggers and Robinson 42 apiece, Phillips 41, Gay 41, Malik Herring 32, Josh Uche 29, Keith Cooper Jr. 15, Robert Beal 14 and Clelin Ferrell 11.

Cooper was graded the best of that group — fourth overall among Dolphins defenders, behind only safety Dante Trader Jr., Brooks and safety Zayne Anderson.

Gay, Herring and Sieler were rated the three worst — 16th, 18th and 19th overall. Though Sieler had two run stops for losses in the fourth quarter, PFF graded him as Miami’s second-worst defensive player Sunday, ahead of only cornerback JuJu Brents.

Sieler extended his streak of games with at least one tackle to 100 — the longest ongoing streak in the NFL among defensive linemen.

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Robinson had a quiet opening game in his third season; he had just one tackle in the run game and didn’t have a quarterback pressure or sack in 18 pass rushing chances.

Phillips and Sieler had two pressures and Biggers registered one. Miami didn’t record a sack.

Among defensive linemen, PFF rated Biggers, Cooper and Beal as Miami’s best run defenders Sunday, while ranking Uche, Herring and Seiler as the three worst.

Cornerback

Johnson played every snap, and the other starter – Jason Marshall Jr. – played 64 of the 68. PFF said Johnson and Marshall were Miami’s best run defenders on Sunday.

In coverage, Johnson allowed six completions in 11 targets for 63 yards and two touchdowns. Most of that damage was done when Johnson was lined up in the slot.

Marshall permitted three completions on three targets for 24 yards, and PFF blamed him for the Raiders’ third touchdown.

Johnson shifted inside when Miami used its nickel package. Brents was Miami’s third corner when the Dolphins used three; Brents played 26 snaps and permitted both passes in his coverage area to be caught for 11 yards. PFF rated him Miami’s worst defender Sunday.

The other cornerback who was active – former Patriots player Marcellas Dial Jr. – played only on special teams.

Safety

Zayne Anderson and Texas rookie Michael Taaffe started and played 53 and 51 defensive snaps, respectively. Dante Trader Jr. came off the bench and played 32.

Coach Jeff Hafley said he considers all three to be starters, and all three did good work in coverage.

Taaffe had an interception; the other pass in his coverage area was caught for 21 yards. He became the ninth Dolphins player to pick off a pass in his NFL debut and the first since Travis Daniels did it against Denver in 2015.

Trader had a his first career interception and otherwise wasn’t targeted.

Anderson allowed only one completion in three targets, and that completion lost two yards.

Rookie Kyle Louis played three snaps on defense before a first half knee injury sidelined him for the duration of the game. Safety Julius Wood played only on special teams.

Here’s my Monday piece with notes, snap counts, grades and tidbits on every Dolphins player on offense.

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