Miami Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel will be making several new hires to his defensive coaching staff this offseason.
The Dolphins announced several changes to their coaching staff Thursday, including the firing of defensive coordinator Josh Boyer, who had been retained after Miami hired McDaniel last offseason.
“I am grateful for Josh’s contributions this year and throughout his tenure with the Dolphins,” McDaniel said in a statement. “The defense made strides through the season, so coming to this decision was not easy, but ultimately I feel it is in the best long-term interests of the Miami Dolphins and the continued growth of our players and team.”
Safeties coach Steve Gregory, outside linebackers coach Ty McKenzie and assistant linebackers coach Steve Ferentz were also fired by the team.
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The Dolphins defense finished near the bottom of the league in several statistical categories like turnovers forced (30th out of 32), passing defense (27th), third-down defense (24th) and points per game allowed (24th).
Miami also dealt with significant injuries that created lineup issues during their first postseason trip since 2017 and just their third in 20 seasons.
Starting defensive end Emmanuel Ogbah (biceps), safety Brandon Jones (ACL), nickel cornerback Nik Needham (Achilles) all suffered season-ending injuries, while cornerback Bryon Jones (Achilles) missed the entire season.
Still, the Dolphins defense had several standouts this season, including Pro Bowl cornerback Xavien Howard and defensive tackle Christian Wilkins, whose 98 tackles this season were the most for any NFL defensive lineman since 1994.
Emerging second-year defensive end Jaelan Phillips led the team with seven sacks, while second-year safety Jevon Holland led with two interceptions and 77 solo tackles.
Miami also signed defensive end Bradley Chubb to a five-year, $110 million extension after acquiring him from the Denver Broncos at the trade deadline last November.
The Dolphins finished 9-8 in the regular season, after an 8-3 start, and their season ended with a wild-card playoff loss to the Buffalo Bills last week under McDaniel’s first season as coach.
