The Miami Dolphins were No. 4 in yards allowed during the 2024 season, but that was accomplished in spite of being one of the NFL’s worst teams at tackling opponents.
According to NFL Next Gen Stats, the Dolphins missed 14.5 percent of their tackle attempts in 2024, the fourth highest rate in the league. Opponents racked up 1,019 yards after missed tackles, fifth most in the NFL.
The biggest culprit of the issue is already off the roster.
Next Gen Stats said that linebacker David Long Jr. missed 17 of his 55 tackle attempts in 2024 before he was cut by the Dolphins in November. Long’s 68.3 percent efficiency was “the worst by any player in Next Gen Stats since 2018, the year tackle data began to be tracked (minimum of 50 attempts).”
Long, 28, entered the year as a Dolphins team captain and had brief stints with the Detroit Lions and Tennessee Titans in the remainder of the 2024 season. He’s now a free agent.
With starters like Jevón Holland, Calais Campbell, and Jordan Poyer set to become free agents in March, there’s a chance much of the Dolphins’ defensive lineup will look different in 2025. Defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver is set to return, though, after drawing head coaching interest.