Featured Columnist IVFebruary 3, 2024
Robin Alam/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
The Miami Dolphins hired Baltimore Ravens associate head coach and defensive line coach Anthony Weaver as their new defensive coordinator on Saturday.
Miami Dolphins @MiamiDolphins
We have named Anthony Weaver as our Defensive Coordinator.
Welcome to Miami, Coach Weaver! 🐬 pic.twitter.com/1hhwDgETwI
Weaver was a head coaching candidate for multiple teams and was among the finalists for the Washington Commanders’ job before they hired former Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn.
In Miami, Weaver will replace Vic Fangio, who parted ways with the Dolphins after one season so he could take the Philadelphia Eagles’ DC job and be closer to family, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
The 43-year-old Weaver spent seven seasons in the NFL as a defensive lineman with the Ravens and Houston Texans from 2002 through 2008 before breaking into coaching in 2010.
He broke into the NFL coaching ranks in 2012 as the New York Jets’ assistant defensive line coach, and later served as the defensive line coach for the Buffalo Bills, Cleveland Browns and Texans.
Weaver spent one season as the DC in Houston in 2020, and the Texans ranked 30th in total defense and 27th in scoring defense that year.
He was the Ravens’ defensive line coach and run game coordinator in 2021 and then served as the associated head coach and defensive line coach under head coach John Harbaugh in 2022 and 2023.
With Weaver serving in a key role on the coaching staff, the Ravens ranked sixth in total defense and first in scoring defense this season, as they went 13-4 and earned the No. 1 playoff seed in the AFC.
With the Dolphins, Weaver will take the reins of a defense that had an up-and-down year in 2023, ranking 10th in total yards allowed, but 22nd in points allowed.
Injuries were a major issue for the Dolphins defense this season, as cornerbacks Jalen Ramsey and Xavien Howard missed seven and four games, respectively, while pass-rusher Jaelan Phillips and Bradley Chubb suffered a torn Achilles and torn ACL, respectively.
Even so, the Dolphins went 11-6 and reached the playoffs for the second consecutive year, losing 26-7 to the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Wild Card Round.
The offense was the driving force behind Miami’s success last season, ranking first in total offense and second in scoring offense, but if Weaver can get the defense closer to the offense’s level, the Dolphins have a chance to win their first AFC East title since 2008 and to win their first playoff game since 2000.
