‘I need him to build off that’—Miami Dolphins head coach Jeff Hafley saw something click for one defender battling for playing time
The playing time in Miami Dolphins’ secondary isn’t fully settled just yet. And Jeff Hafley just saw something he wants more of.
There’s plenty of room for improvement for the Miami Dolphins‘ defense. The unit is enduring growing pains amid a youth movement — although Week 3 showed some signs of progress.
Progress is the name of the game for many with the Dolphins this year. And head coach Jeff Hafley appears to have seen some in one defender still clawing for playing time in Miami’s secondary. Cornerback JuJu Brents is a former second-round pick who hasn’t lived up to that investment and is currently the third cornerback behind rookie Chris Johnson and second-year defender Jason Marshall. But Brents set a season high in snaps against the Chiefs (36). And Hafley saw something in the process.
Miami Dolphins head coach Jeff Hafley is hoping CB JuJu Brents builds off a breakthrough vs. Chiefs
“I thought last week was the most physical I’ve seen (Brents) play. I thought it was one of his better games, and I need him to build off that now and I need him to gain confidence. He’s got size, he’s got length and I felt like he used it the first time.”
— Miami Dolphins head coach Jeff Hafley on CB JuJu Brents
Brents has never been short on traits. But opportunities to develop have been cut off due to injury issues. And Brents has endured several scheme changes between his time in Indianapolis and Miami. Hafley’s been talking about his length and potential for physicality since he took the job — and it seems as though Hafley feels the light bulb has started to flicker.
If Hafley’s able to pull a breakthrough out of Brents, it will serve as a strong testament to his defensive back prowess as a coach. And, ironically enough, the cornerback room has certainly hasn’t been the Achilles heel many feared. Through three games, the Dolphins are allowing a passer rating of 79.4 on targets to wide receivers. Brents has been credited with allowing 27 yards in coverage in just under 100 defensive snaps.
But can Brents build off what was an apparent breakthrough in Week 3 against the Chiefs? Hafley is asking for it — and now we get to see how Brents responds.
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