Can the Phins Generate Sacks In 2020?

The Phins need to pressure AND sack opposing QBs this season

Last year, the 2019 Phins were dead last in sacks and ‘led’ the NFL with a measly 23 quarterback takedowns, which was 5 less than the next team. Lacking even one potent edge rusher, Taco Charlton was Miami’s best ‘sack artist’ with 5 sacks.

Ugly!

Now, to be fair to coach Flores’s defensive scheme, it isn’t designed to generate sacks through an elite defensive end. The scheme Flores employs is about putting players in a position to pressure the QB through play design. So, maybe the lack of an elite pass rusher shouldn’t concern fans?

Whatever the philosophy, one thing is for certain, Miami must rush quarterbacks better than they did in 2019.

Flores believes it takes a village to sack a quarterback

While Miami didn’t pick up an elite DE this offseason, they did acquiring a bunch of good ones.

First, Miami practiced addition by subtraction and ditched Charles Harris and Taco Charlton. Both were deadweight, so we are better off. Yes, Charlton had 5 sacks, but most were cleanup type takedowns.

Then in both free agency and the draft, GM Chris Grier added plenty of pass rushers. The new additions include Shaq Lawson, Emmanuel Ogbah, Jason Strowbridge, and Curtis Weaver. And even though Kyle Van Noy is a linebacker, we can add him to the list because Flores with give him plenty of opportunities to pass rush.

Now, I loved that Miami used plenty of resources to address the pass rush…

… However, most pay per head reviews aren’t sold that the Phins fixed their anemic pass rush.

Some concerns about the Phins 2020 pass rush

For starters, none of the free-agent signings are known as true sack artists. And rookie Weaver from Boise State who is known as a sack artist needs to prove he can beat the elite competition of the NFL. The week-to-week talent that Weaver faced with Boise State isn’t even near the ballpark of the NFL. There is potential with both Weaver. But, in the NFL potential is a dangerous word because more often than not potential isn’t realized on the field.

Don’t get me wrong, the quality pass rush talent level is much higher than last season. But, this wasn’t a hard thing to accomplish considering how little pass rush talent was on the 2019 roster.

Can Miami actually put pressure opposing QBs with just a scheme and good players?

While the Dolphins could be alright without a stud DE racking up sacks, generating pressure through schemes and some good players is easier said than done. Remember when the Wide-9 was billed as an offense wrecker with Wake and Quinn? So, this philosophy is all well and good… as long as the Phins actually get to the QB this year.  

This team is a work in progress, so patience from fans is key

The good news is if Miami still has problems getting sacks this season, then they have a ton of resources next year. Cap space to spare and two first-round picks in 2021 is more than enough ammo to reel in a premier pass-rusher. So, I expect the lack of pass rush to be resolved by next year at the latest. And if Flores can actually generate pressure without an elite pass rusher this season, even better. Either way, the pass rush issue should be resolve by 2021. Sooner the better, of course.

So it will be interesting to see how our pass rush fares this year. The bar has been set so low after in 2019, there’s no reason why Miami can’t improve on that number.  

The real question is how improved will the Phins actually be at getting QBs in 2020?

While I’m not sold yet on our pass rush, I have a ton of faith in Coach Flores to get it done. I’d absolutely love to have the next Jason Taylor or Cameron Wake on the roster. But I really don’t see any of the current players as Miami’s next prolific pass rusher. Hopefully, Flores and these new players can prove me dead wrong though. 

What are the rest of the Miami Dolphins News fans’ thoughts on our pass rush for the upcoming season?

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