The Miami Dolphins announced on Thursday the dismissal of defensive coordinator Josh Boyer, who had been with the franchise for four seasons, the last three as defensive coordinator.
Alongside Boyer, the Dolphins also terminated 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,” stated coach Mike McDaniel in a released statement.
“The defense showed improvement over the season, so this decision was not made lightly. However, I believe it is in the best long-term interests of the Miami Dolphins and the ongoing development of our players and team.”
Throughout the 2022 season, the Dolphins faced significant challenges with key starters such as cornerbacks Byron Jones and Nik Needham, safety Brandon Jones, and defensive end Emmanuel Ogbah sustaining season-ending injuries.
In an effort to bolster their depleted defense, Miami acquired Pro Bowl linebacker Bradley Chubb in November, signing him to a substantial five-year, $110 million contract shortly after the trade.
While Miami boasted the league’s fourth-best run defense, their overall defensive metrics were less impressive, ranking 21st in defensive expected points added, 22nd in sacks per pass attempt, and 24th in both points allowed per game and third-down conversion percentage.
Josh Boyer (Photo: USATSI)
Despite having been a top-10 defense in takeaways in the previous two seasons, they struggled to force turnovers in 2022, ending the season with just 14 takeaways, tied for second fewest in the NFL.
Boyer had been retained on staff following the dismissal of former head coach Brian Flores after the 2021 season, with hopes that his unit could maintain the high performance it had displayed in the second half of the previous season, when it led the NFL in defensive EPA.
Boyer originally joined Miami in 2019 under Flores, following a 12-year tenure with the New England Patriots in various defensive coaching roles.
McDaniel previously discussed the decision to retain Boyer, emphasizing the continuity and success of the defense under his leadership: “When something’s not broken, you don’t fix it. There are also player relationships, scheme considerations, and human dynamics involved. This decision was well-informed and calculated.”
With the vacancy at defensive coordinator now open, the Dolphins expect strong interest given the talent on their roster, including players like Xavien Howard, Jevon Holland, Christian Wilkins, Jaelan Phillips, and Bradley Chubb, all under contract for at least the upcoming season.
