During the 2022 season, the Miami Dolphins struggled mightily defensively. While a lot of that has been blamed on coaching, a lack of depth and quality talent on the field were big reasons as well.
Early on in free agency, general manager Chris Grier attacked defense early, including signing safety DeShon Elliott from the Detroit Lions. Elliott joined Detroit in 2022 after the completion of his rookie contract with the Baltimore Ravens.
At the league meetings, Elliott’s former head coach, Dan Campbell, spoke about the type of player the Dolphins are getting in the safety.
“Listen, DeShon, what a stud,” Campbell said (transcribed by the Miami Herald). “He’s another one of those guys who came in and just worked his rear off — active, snap the whistle, hard-hitting, aggressive, and he was a good teammate, man.
“And look, he had some bumps in the road early, and they came out of it and he was a really good player for us. He was cooking, and he really kind of kept us together in the back end last year. So we’ll miss him. I wish him all the best of luck.”
Elliott played 91% of the defensive snaps for the Lions last year, setting a career-high in tackles (96).
Under Vic Fangio’s tutelage in Miami, there’s a chance that Elliott continues that rise and gets ample opportunities to display his skills in a talented secondary that includes Xavien Howard, Jalen Ramsey, Jevon Holland and Brandon Jones.
Even if Elliott is the third safety in Miami’s defense, Fangio’s scheme uses extra defensive backs quite frequently.
