In final preseason tuneup, Jaguars and Trevor Lawrence pose ‘good test’ for Dolphins defense

It’s only preseason, but in two games the new-look Dolphins defense has shown glimpses of being the stingy unit that could make a drastic improvement in 2023.

With the majority of the defense’s starters playing a couple of series against the Houston Texans and reserves logging most of the snaps in the preseason, the Dolphins have only allowed one touchdown.

“I think overall, it was good play,” defensive coordinator Vic Fangio said before Tuesday’s practice. “I do think that we need to keep in mind that the other team’s No. 1 quarterbacks [aren’t playing] — or last week, it was but he’s a rookie [C.J. Stroud]. So, I think [Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback] Trevor Lawrence is going to play. And he’s a real dude. So, he’ll be a good test for us.”

Coach Doug Pederson told reporters that the Jaguars starters will play in the preseason finale in Jacksonville on Saturday night. This means that, as Fangio said, the defense’s final test before facing Justin Herbert of the Los Angeles Chargers in the season opener will be another talented quarterback in Lawrence.

In the first two preseason games, Fangio has philosophically left his mark on the Dolphins’ defense. The team hasn’t blitzed as zealously, sending extra rushers on just 21 percent of opposing drop-backs — the figure was 32.9 percent in 2022, according to TruMedia. And Miami’s rate of zone coverage has increased. The players have taken to it well, with just one touchdown and one field goal allowed.

“We all have our individual talents,” said inside linebacker David Long Jr., who made his debut against the Texans and recorded two tackles in 12 snaps. “It’s about us going into a defense and how we can play off each other. It’s just good seeing it. We’ve got new pieces coming in every week.”

He added: “We’re taking that mentality that we’re going to have that dog and playing fast and that’s why it’s coming together.”

Two weeks ago, Fangio brought attention to a bevy of roster questions at multiple levels of the defense. He said the team is looking to “find two other guys, three other guys to surface as the fourth, fifth and sixth defensive linemen.” Christian Wilkins’ hold-in hasn’t been ideal for the team but it has allowed other linemen, such as veteran Da’Shawn Hand and undrafted rookie Brandon Pili, to log snaps with the first-team defense against the Texans.

Fangio called the addition of Hand a “really good pickup” and said Pili is “definitely in that hunt” to make the 53-man roster, which must be finalized by 4 p.m. on Aug. 29.

At cornerback, Noah Igbinoghene, rookie Cam Smith and Eli Apple continue to compete for snaps. The margin among them is “small,“ said Fangio, who added that “we’re kind of a little bit flux there.”

The Dolphins will need one of the three to emerge as a reliable player to replace Jalen Ramsey — who is out indefinitely with a knee injury — in nickel packages with Xavien Howard and Kader Kohou.

Smith had been limited in practice because of a shoulder injury he sustained in the preseason opener against the Atlanta Falcons. But he participated without the red, non-contact jersey on Tuesday and said that he will be ready to play in Week 1.

“We’ve got to feel like we can trust him to do the right thing,” Fangio said of Smith. “We’re all going to get beat some, but we don’t want to get beat by self-inflicted wounds.”

Fangio said the starting spot at safety opposite Jevon Holland remains “up in the air” with one preseason game remaining. DeShon Elliott, Elijah Campbell and Verone McKinley III have all logged significant snaps in the preseason. Brandon Jones, who had been the full-time starter the last two seasons until his ACL tear last October, continues to be sidelined from practice because of what coach Mike McDaniel said last week is a “lingering bump or bruise.”

When asked what he’s looking for in the player to start with Holland, Fangio said: “Just overall good play.”

McDaniel has not yet said whether starters will play and how much. But their opponent will be a quality barometer for their starters — and those on the roster bubble.

“This last week is going to be very important for a lot of people,” Fangio said. “It’s easy to pick a team one through 40, 45. It’s those last eight to 13 that are hard, and this week is going to be very telling for some of the guys.”