Miami Dolphins look to improve defensive field position this season

The Miami Dolphins look to improve a rarely talked about topic, defensive field position. This aspect should help the defense in game.

During free agency, the Miami Dolphins signed veteran punter, Thomas Morstead. He is most known for his decade-long tenure with the New Orleans Saints. Morstead was part of the Super Bowl-winning Saints team in 2010.

Morstead was the kicker during the offside kick coming out of halftime for Super Bowl 44. That play is widely considered the momentum shift needed for the Saints to come out on top.

The Miami Dolphins defense started the season rocky, to say the least, last season. They have resigned every key free agent to have the same defensive unit from last season as they look to repeat their success.

With a new punter in Morstead, the Fins are looking to add another dimension to the team. Defensive field position is seldom noticed on how it can affect a game. But the obviousness of the impact is noticeable when the opposing offense has to travel 60 yards to just get a field goal.

But field position after a punt not only helps the defense by making it harder on the opposing offense to score. It sets up Miami’s offense to also get better field position. If the defense can stop a team on their own 30, the offense can potentially start on the opponents’ 40-yard line with a 45-yard punt.

This considers the fact punters line up roughly 15 yards behind the line of scrimmage. The Miami Dolphins were wise in looking to improve their punting game this offseason. Some were even hoping the Fins would draft San Diego State punter Matt Araiza.

But picking up Morstead means the Dolphins can use their limited amount of draft pick on other positional needs. The field position battle is something that can become very integral to the success of the teams from game-to-game.