Jason Marshall Jr. is struggling, Chris Johnson is growing
The Miami Dolphins have a changing of the guard happening in their secondary. Two young cornerbacks, Jason Marshall Jr. and Chris Johnson, represent an important part of that transition. Both are critical to Miami’s future, but heading into Sunday’s matchup with New England, their trajectories couldn’t look much different.
Patriots quarterback Drake Maye will certainly look to attack the weak link. The good news is A.J. Brown will be out, but it will demand that the coverage has less slippage since they’ll be facing second tier recievers.
Both DBs have Struggles, BUT…
Start with the numbers. According to FantasyPointsData, Marshall has allowed a 151.0 passer rating when targeted through seven weeks, the highest among the 30 qualifying cornerbacks in the bottom tier of the league’s coverage rankings. Johnson isn’t exactly enjoying an easy ride either, sitting at 134.1, but the difference between the two is becoming increasingly interesting.
Marshall’s recent performances are particularly concerning. Against Buffalo in Week 5, he allowed a touchdown on three completions in four zone targets, surrendering 72 yards and a 156.3 passer rating. Against the Jets in Week 7, he allowed another touchdown, giving up 66 yards on three completions from three zone targets. That’s two consecutive weeks of opposing quarterbacks finding success against him, particularly when Miami asks him to play zone.
Johnson’s numbers tell a somewhat different story. While his overall passer rating allowed remains problematic, his more recent results have been encouraging. He hasn’t surrendered a touchdown in the supplied Week 5 and Week 7 coverage splits. He’s shown an ability to compete in both man and zone, and his overall trend is moving in a better direction.
That doesn’t mean Johnson is without concerns. The 60-yard completion allowed in Week 7, on a man-coverage assignment, is a reminder that explosive plays remain a problem. Neither player has earned a free pass.
Still, if you check their man and zone coverage ratings over the season, you clearly see Johnson getting better and Marhsall worse.
Chris Johnson (CB)
Week
Coverage
Targets
Comp
Yards
TD
INT
Rating
1
Man
7
3
42
2
0
102.4
1
Zone
4
3
21
0
0
86.5
2
Zone
4
4
54
0
0
118.8
3
Zone
2
2
10
0
0
87.5
4
Man
2
2
17
0
0
102.1
4
Zone
2
2
5
0
0
79.2
5
Man
1
1
5
0
0
87.5
5
Zone
2
2
9
0
0
85.4
5
Situational
2
2
9
0
0
85.4
7
Man
1
1
60
0
0
118.8
7
Zone
2
1
20
0
0
85.4
Jason Marshall Jr. (CB)
Week
Coverage
Targets
Comp
Yards
TD
INT
Rating
1
Man
1
1
3
0
0
79.2
1
Zone
1
1
8
0
0
100.0
2
Zone
2
2
28
0
0
118.8
3
Zone
3
2
24
0
0
91.0
4
Man
1
1
14
0
0
118.8
5
Man
1
1
4
0
0
83.3
5
Zone
4
3
72
1
0
156.3
7
Zone
3
3
66
1
0
158.3
But you can bet with the best pay per head that there’s an important distinction here. Johnson appears to be finding his footing while Marshall is showing signs of regression. That’s a concerning development for a team counting on Marshall to become part of its long-term answer at cornerback.
New England Won’t have Brown
New England presents a significant test for Miami’s young secondary, less without Brown, but OC McDaniel’s and Maye are potent together. The Patriots have the personnel to challenge coverage discipline, communication and the ability to survive one-on-one matchups. Miami cannot afford blown assignments or repeated explosive plays, particularly against an offense capable of making defenses pay for their mistakes.
Johnson needs to continue building on his recent progress. Marshall needs to show that the last two weeks were a setback rather than a trend.
There’s a future to build in this secondary, but there’s also a present that needs attention. The Dolphins need both corners to step forward Sunday. Johnson is trending in the right direction, while Marshall needs to reverse course quickly.
One is beginning to look like a building block. The other needs to remind everyone why Miami invested in his future.
The changing of the guard is underway. Now it’s time to see who is ready to take ownership of it.
