4 things I think we know about the Miami Dolphins at the halfway point

The free agents the Miami Dolphins brought in have mostly been hits.

The Miami Dolphins didn't do anything to splashy in free agency. They traded for Jalen Ramsey which was wildly splashy but were talking about guys they've signed that weren't on the team last year.

David Long Jr., who after week one when he only played like 22 snaps, has rounded out to be the best middle backer they have. Sure, the competition there for Miami isn't stellar, but Long Jr. has made a big difference in the surging run defense.

Long Jr. is rewading his keys, reacting with force and speed, and is flatout making plays every week.

Deshon Elliot, who is not ever going to be compared with the upper-echelon of safeties in the league, has been more than solid. I thought he was going to be a bit of a letdown in Fangio's scheme and that we would be in a worse spot if he played more than Brandon Jones but guess what? Even though I love the hitting that Jones brings, give me all of Deshon Elliott in every game.

On a defense with a bunch of big names who command a lot of money, Deshon Elliott has stepped in and has been the exact opposite of hole on defense. He's a guy I don't worry about at all out there and typically once a game I see him make a play and I say "Good thing the Dolphins targeted him and signed him."

Braxton Berrios has nailed the return game. I mean, literally current-day Dan Marino would have been an upgrade over who the Dolphins threw out there last year to return kicks. His stats aren't gaudy or anything like that but he consistently fields the ball and gets about 10 yards a return. That's all I want.

Not only that but he has been a reliable receiver. I actually think Berrios could be used a bit more in the passing game because I think they focus on Tyreek Hill way too much. I really won't doubt if there's a game or two down the line where Berrios comes up big on some key 3rd downs.

Overall, good on Chris Grier, Mike McDaniel, and Vic Fangio for knowing what they do and sifting through all the guys to find the guys, at the price they wanted to pay, that can run their stuff.