Exploring where Dolphins stand at safety and potential options, and a big Fangio decision

Among the biggest issues needing resolution as the Dolphins front office and new coordinator Vic Fangio scan their roster in the days before the start of free agency next week:

With Brandon Jones coming off a torn ACL, do they need to add a starting-caliber safety? Or would a clear No. 3 safety suffice?

With Eric Rowe and Clayton Fejedelem both set for free agency, general manager Chris Grier said recently that depth is needed at the position.

Keep in mind that Fangio plays a lot of coverages with two safeties deep.

Jevon Holland assuredly will be on the field for most or all snaps next season, health provided.

Jones — an excellent blitzer — improved considerably in coverage last season before his Week 7 injury. So sticking with Jones as a starter could be justified.

But exploring the market for a 2023 starter with coverage skills also can be justified. There are ways where Fangio could get Holland, another starting safety and Jones on the field at the same time a lot of the time.

The name continually bandied about is Buffalo’s Jordan Poyer, who has sounded intrigued about playing for the Dolphins. He was a Pro Bowler in 2022 and first-team All-Pro in 2021. Pro Football Focus predicts he will get a contract in the two-year, $17 million range.

I would by no means rule out Poyer as a Dolphins possibility. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that Poyer very likely will leave Buffalo for a good contract elsewhere. So keep an eye on Poyer.

The other pricey free agent safeties available: Cincinnati’s Jessie Bates and Vonn Bell and Philadelphia’s Chauncey Gardner Johnson.

The next tier of free agent safeties includes the Rams’ Taylor Rapp, the 49ers’ Jimmie Ward, Kansas City’s Juan Thornhill, the Giants’ Julian Love, Dallas’ Donovan Wilson and Green Bay’s Adrian Amos.

The Colts’ Rodney McCloud and Raiders’ Duron Harmon and Seattle’s Jonathan Abram would be lower-priced alternatives if the Dolphins want a third safety with starting experience and opt for something different than Rowe.

There are more than 60 available free agent safeties. How much to allocate on the position is a tough call, because money will be tight and cornerback and inside linebacker — among other positions — seem bigger needs.

Some thoughts and notes on every Dolphins’ safety heading into free agency and the draft:

JEVON HOLLAND

▪ The contract: Has two years remaining on his rookie deal; he’s owed $1.45 million in 2023 and $1.84 million in 2024.

▪ The metrics: In the evaluation of Pro Football Focus, Holland went from one of the league’s best safeties as a rookie to an average one. That probably doesn’t do him justice. PFF rated him the third-best safety in 2021 but just 48th of 89 safeties this past season.

Part of that was a byproduct of pass coverage. Per PFF, he permitted a 110 passer rating in his coverage area, allowing 25 for 31 passes to be caught for 284 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions.

As a rookie, Holland allowed an 88.6 passer rating — 12 for 22, 208, four touchdowns and two interceptions.

He received credit for 10 passes defensed as a rookie, compared with seven this past season.

It’s important to note that it’s sometimes difficult to tell a safety’s assignment in coverage, so these numbers might not tell the full picture on Holland.

PFF rated Holland 45th against the run.

He went from having a role in seven turnovers as a rookie to three this season. But his tackles jumped from 69 in 893 snaps as a rookie to 96 in 1129 snaps in 2022.

▪ The future: Holland has all the physical qualities — and the football acumen — of a Pro Bowl safety. Fangio should be able to help get him there.

At the very least, he’s a good starter. But the expectation is for something more.

The loss of Jones to a season-ending knee injury hurt Holland, because the Dolphins couldn’t maximize Holland’s versatility as much as they could when Jones was available.

Holland was badly needed in coverage in a depleted secondary, and defensive coordinator Josh Boyer didn’t blitz him as much as they probably would have liked.

Consider that against the Baltimore Ravens in the 2021 season, Holland rushed the passer 22 times as a blitzer, registering six pressures and causing the Ravens offense all kinds of problems.

This past season, he rushed the quarterback just 32 times overall, compared to 65 in 2021. So it was no surprise that his sack numbers dropped from 2.5 to 1.5, his pressure numbers from 16 to 9.

Fangio should maximize his skills, using him deep in coverage and sometimes in the box.

BRANDON JONES

▪ The contract: Has one more season left on his rookie contract; he’ll make $1.3 million next season.

▪ The metrics: Jones played in only seven games before his season-ending ACL injury, and he was effective (as usual) as a blitzer, with two sacks and five pressures in 29 pass rushing snaps.

Last season, with Jones healthy, he rushed on 93 snaps and had 17 pressures and 5 sacks on those 93 opportunities. That’s impressive and speaks to his unique skills in that area.

The growth last season, as noted earlier, came in pass coverage. In 2021, Jones permitted a 114.2 passer rating in his coverage area. Last season, it was 89.3, with 21 completions in 29 targets but no TDs and just an 8.9 reception average.

▪ The future: Jones had established his value to the Dolphins even before his season-ending ACL injury in Week 7 against Pittsburgh But Jones’ value seemed even greater without him.

Miami’s blitzes were much less effective without Jones, who had become one of the league’s best blitzing safeties, with seven sacks in his past 22 games.

The Dolphins also missed him in coverage, considering the improvements he had made in that area.

Because Fangio doesn’t blitz safeties as much as Boyer did, the question is whether Fangio will push the Dolphins toward signing a veteran safety with a larger successful body of work in coverage. If he does, then Jones could return as a No. 3 safety instead of a starter. Either way, the answer should become clear in the next 10 days.

ERIC ROWE

▪ The contract: He will be an unrestricted free agent.

▪ The metrics: Rowe was initially a healthy scratch for a game, the week after Jones’ season-ending injury, because the team was interested in seeing Verone McKinley III play opposite his former college teammate, Holland, against Detroit.

But Rowe returned to the lineup the following week and played far more snaps than McKinley over the final two months of the season.

Rowe finished with a 110 passer rating in his coverage area (39 for 47 for 489 yards, a 12.5 average) but no touchdowns and no interceptions. PFF ranked him 71st of 89 safeties.

▪ The future: Rowe has value as a No. 3 safety, but if the Dolphins want to add starting-caliber safety, it would be tough to envision Rowe returning.

VERONE MCKINLEY III

▪ The contract: Signed through 2023; he’s due to make $870,000 next season.

▪ The metrics: McKinley was targeted only three times, allowed one completion for seven yards and made an interception. That’s an incredible 2.8 rating in his coverage area.

▪ The future: The Dolphins like his communication skills, football IQ and tackling in the open field. He was a ballhawk in college but must show he has the speed to be consistently effective in coverage. He has a good chance to stick as a fourth safety next season.

ELIJAH CAMPBELL

▪ The contract: The Dolphins tendered him as an exclusive rights free agent, and he will make $1 million next season.

▪ The metrics: He played 80 defensive snaps in 16 games last season after playing just two defensive snaps in his first 10 games for the Dolphins during 2020 and 2021.

Campbell allowed 6 of 8 passes to be caught for 47 yards and a touchdown (128.6 passer rating)

▪ The future: Campbell can play safety or corner and has value on special teams. Boyer had him focus on safety in the final weeks of the season and he started the Jets finale — his only NFL start — but logged just 10 snaps on defense.

He’s worth developing; his skill set seems to fit some of what Fangio wants in a safety.

CLAYTON FEJEDELEM

▪ The contract: Will be an unrestricted free agent.

▪ The metrics: A core player on special teams, Fejedelem played just 36 snaps on defense, after logging 15 and 16 his two previous seasons. He was targeted six times and allowed three catches for 27 yards.

▪ The future: Signed before the 2020 season to be one of the centerpieces of the Dolphins’ special teams, Fejedelem survived all three seasons but couldn’t rescue coverage units that struggled in all areas last season.