Miami Dolphins: 3 New England players that need to be accounted for

I’m going with a combo of players here that Miami will need to be wary of when they see the field at the same time.

Historically, Miami has struggled going up against opposing tight ends. Their linebacking corp has just had the hardest time securing the middle of the field, even with various additions to the roster to try and do just that. With the addition of Eric Rowe a few seasons ago, Miami started to turn that unfortunate history around. Rowe has shown time and again that he is capable of taking out the opposing tight end, with few exceptions. The issue is that most opposing teams have one solid tight end, whereas the Patriots have two.

Neither Smith nor Henry are at the Travis Kelce/Darren Waller level, but both are athletic players who could do some damage in the passing game if they are not appropriately handled by the defense. I feel comfortable with the idea of Eric Rowe being able to cover one of them, but guys like Jason McCourty, Jerome Baker, and Jevon Holland are going to need to make sure that they are not letting these guys get open in the middle of the defense.

One of the best ways to rattle a rookie quarterback is to take away his “safe” options, which are usually tight ends and running backs out of the backfield. Miami’s secondary should be able to keep up with the Patriot’s less-than-threatening wide receivers, so a focus on shutting down their tight ends is a must.