The Miami Dolphins will have a new defensive coordinator next season. The team announced on Thursday it has parted ways with Josh Boyer, who served in that role for the past three seasons. Miami also fired safeties coach Steve Gregory, outside linebackers coach Ty McKenzie and assistant linebackers coach Steve Ferentz.
"I am grateful for Josh's contributions this year and throughout his tenure with the Dolphins," head coach Mike McDaniel said in the team 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."
Boyer was previously the Dolphins' defensive pass game coordinator and cornerbacks coach, and was elevated to the coordinator role in 2020. He came to Miami from New England along with former Dolphins head coach Brian Flores after having served 13 years as an assistant in New England, with the last seven of those as cornerbacks coach. After Flores was fired, new head coach Mike McDaniel kept Boyer on as defensive coordinator for the 2022 season.
In three seasons, Boyer's defenses ranked 20th, 15th and 19th in yards allowed, and sixth, 16th, and 24th in points allowed. More advanced measurements of efficiency showed Boyer's unit declining this season, as it went from ranking fourth and sixth in Tru Media's version of expected points added (EPA) per play in 2020 and 2021, to just 23rd this past season.
The Dolphins dealt with numerous injuries on that side of the ball, including one that kept No. 2 cornerback Byron Jones out for the entire season. Still, the decline in performance from year to year and the Dolphins' inability to handle opposing passing games presumably led to Boyer's losing his job.
Candidates for the now-open coordinator role are not yet known, but McDaniel has ties to San Francisco from his days serving under 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan, and to coaches who run the Vic Fangio-style of defense. It seems relatively safe to assume the new coordinator will come from that school of thought, though McDaniel could, of course, opt to look in a different direction.
