Dolphins pass rush a topic of discussion inside organization. There might be a remedy

Next Gen Stats keeps a remarkable metric for measuring a pass rusher’s average pressure distance from the quarterback he’s chasing at the time of the passer throws the football or a sack happens.

The metric only includes passing plays where the defender is rushing the passer. And the NFL average distance between defenders and the quarterback so far this year is 4.51 yards.

This metric shows what we already know to be true about the Miami Dolphins pass rusher so far. The Dolphins are not getting enough pressure because they’re not getting close enough to the passer.

This metric is not about sacks, by the way. It’s about pass pressure which is what most coaches, including the Dolphins coaching staff, say they value as much as sacks. It’s about disrupting the quarterback, making him uncomfortable by getting around him, affecting his throw or footwork.

The Dolphins had only one player get consistently close enough to Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen as to be under the NFL average distance to the QB:

That was defensive tackle Christian Wilkins. He averaged 4.31 yards pressure distance to Allen during his rush attempts.

All the other pass rushers on the team were above the NFL separation to the quarterback average on their pass rushes, even Emmanuel Ogbah and Andrew Van Ginkel, who combined for Miami’s one sack against Buffalo.

Van Ginkel’s average distance to the QB on his pass rushes was 4.6 yards.

Ogbah’s average distance to the QB on his pass rushes was 4.7 yards.

Shaq Lawson’s average distance to the QB on his pass rushes was 4.91 yards.

Kyle Van Noy’s average distance to the QB on his pass rushes was 7.21 yards.

Compare that to the Bills as they tried to pressure Miami quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick: They had four players under the NFL average distance to pressure. Defensive ends Mario Addison and Quinton Jefferson were both under 4 yards. Jerry Hughes was at 4.05 yards and Trent Murphy was at 4.38 yards.

So not only did the Bills have three sacks of Fitzpatrick, but they had four players get closer to Fitzpatrick and pressure him more than the average distance of pressure for the entire league. Said another way, Buffalo had four guys applying an above average amount of pressure on Miami’s quarterback.

This was not a one-game issue. The opening game against New England, the Dolphins didn’t have any pass rusher apply enough pressure to be under the league average separation mark from the quarterback.

So Miami’s pass rush needs attention. And the Dolphins know it.

“We need more pressure on the quarterback,” coach Brian Flores said Tuesday. “I think every team is looking for that. When you find ways to get pressure on the quarterback, that’s what we’ve been talking about the last few days.”

The topic needs discussion because playing defense is a team endeavor. So if the pass rush is subpar, a quarterback can take longer to scan the field, and a wide receiver can take longer to get open deeper down the field.

That puts the secondary at risk.

And so far this season, particularly last week against the Bills, the Dolphins have struggled to defend the pass. Opposing quarterbacks are completing 72.2 percent of their passes against Miami, which is the league’s sixth-worst mark. The 10.6 yards per pass attempt the Dolphins are allowing is the worst mark in the NFL.

That double-digit number speaks to receivers being able to get down field and quarterbacks having enough time to throw it to them.

One solution?

Put the quarterback on the ground. Make him hurry his passes. Make him uncomfortable.

Create a better pass rush.

“I know our guys are going to work hard to do that, and there’s always a fundamental element when you have a quarterback with the ability to scramble, that kind of hinders rush from time to time,” defensive coordinator Josh Boyer said. “But we need to find ways to improve it. We need to coach it better. We need to adjust better, and we need to execute better.”

The good news?

The Dolphins played very mobile quarterbacks the first two weeks, but this week Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Gardner Minshew is not as big of a run threat. And, oh yeah, the Jaguars have had some issues protecting their quarterback.

Jacksonville is so far tied for fourth with five other teams, giving up an average of three sacks per game.

That suggests the Dolphins might be able to mount more of a rush after facing two experienced and accomplished offensive lines the first two weeks.