Why Koa Misi's Return from Injury Can't Come Soon Enough for Dolphins

Entering the 2014 season, the Miami Dolphins’ defense had one clear weak positional unit: linebackers.

Three weeks into the season, the Dolphins still face the same dilemma, as injuries to Dannell Ellerbe and Koa Misi have forced defensive coordinator Kevin Coyle to start special teams specialist Jason Trusnik and second-year stud Jelani Jenkins.

The results for the unit have been mixed, at best. Jenkins has developed into a playmaker at weak-side linebacker, logging 29 tackles and 18 run stops, according to Pro Football Focus.

Jenkins showed the ability to cover opposing tight ends and running backs in his limited 2013 snaps, but his ability to defend the run effectively was a major question mark. So far, he’s shown tremendous growth and is a quality starter for the Dolphins.

Depending on Trusnik to be productive at the middle linebacker spot has been troublesome, however. It’s not that Trusnik has been awful, but he hasn’t been a significant upgrade from Ellerbe, who started at middle linebacker in 2013.

Trusnik has played decently as a run defender so far this season, finishing plays at the point of contact with the ball-carrier with good consistency. The problem is that when Trusnik is out of position, it has cost Miami dearly. Take a look at the play below from Week 2, where Buffalo Bills’ running back C.J. Spiller sped through the hole for a 47-yard gain.

Credit: NFL Game Rewind

Trusnik was unable to reach the running lane because of two things. The first problem is that his lateral agility is poor. He cannot smoothly go from sideline-to-sideline, and stretching Miami horizontally will expose that flaw. The second issue is Trusnik is unaware of his teammate next to him. He runs into Louis Delmas, who has crashed the box and taken the blocker, so Trusnik can make the play.

Week 3 against the Kansas City Chiefs showed similar issues for Trusnik, despite a solid statistical performance. On Knile Davis’ 21-yard touchdown, Trusnik is unable to control his blocker and shed the tackle.

The fundamental play here is to stay with the blocker until the ball-carrier gets close, and as the back breaks toward one side of the blocker, Trusnik should disengage with violent hands and finish the tackle.

Credit: NFL Game Rewind

Instead, Trusnik lunges as Davis runs by, and he’s unable to make the tackle.

Credit: NFL Game Rewind

Throughout the Chiefs’ game, we could find Trusnik unable to shed blockers, and he often was stuck way out of the play. He’s simply overmatched too often, and opposing offenses are running often and waiting for the Dolphins defense to make a mistake like the ones above.

It’s hard to fault Trusnik for being placed as a starter, because he has made some very good plays at or behind the line of scrimmage. But in pass coverage, Miami has really felt Trusnik’s shortcomings.

In Week 2, the Bills targeted Trusnik on passing plays, because they saw that he is vulnerable to overcommitting to run plays. Since Trusnik bites on play-action plays, wide receiver Sammy Watkins was able to have a terrific day while just running deep crosses. The cornerbacks were overmatched because they had zero underneath help from the linebackers, and the defense failed.

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Worse yet, with Trusnik playing 198 of 217 total defensive snaps, the Dolphins’ special teams have greatly suffered. The Dolphins’ special teams unit has allowed multiple big returns through the first three games, and this is likely due to the number of injuries—and two suspensions—suffered on defense.

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Miami’s cumulative special team’s grade is the 25th in the NFL, according to PFF. Losing aces Dion Jordan and Trusnik have forced Miami to rely on rookies who have little experience on special teams, and the results have been disastrous. Spiller’s 102-yard touchdown return in Week 2 was just one of many backbreaking plays allowed on return coverage this season.

Enter Koa Misi back into the depleted Dolphins’ linebacker core, and things could change quickly.

Misi spent the first four seasons of his career as the strong-side linebacker, which is responsible for setting the edge on run plays and being able to drop into coverage with tight ends on occasion. Misi has done well in his role, but the struggles of Ellerbe and Philip Wheeler have forced Miami to try Misi out in the middle.

We haven’t seen much of Misi at his new position due to an ankle injury that has cost him the first three games of the season, but he did play well in his preseason action.

In 42 snaps in two weeks in the preseason, Misi totaled seven solo tackles and four run stops. More impressively, Misi showed good play recognition and quickness in reaching the ball carrier. His former position didn’t require such diagnosis ability, as it was more grunt work he had to accomplish.

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In coverage, Misi earned a PFF grade of minus-.7 in his time on the field, which isn’t a downgrade from what Miami is getting out of the position now. Misi is a better athlete than Trusnik, although he's not much more than an average NFL athlete. Nonetheless, if Misi can read plays more effectively than Trusnik and reach the correct depth on his zone-coverage drops, he will be an upgrade.

With Misi seemingly nearing a return from injury (he was expected to play Week 3, “barring a setback,” according to Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald), the Dolphins should have hope that they’re ailing defense can rebound from a bad start to 2014.

When the defense adds Reshad Jones and Jordan back into the mix after their suspensions end, the linebacker group could be in a much better place if Misi can deliver as the new middle linebacker.

For a team that has allowed an average of 25 points per game on defense so far, Misi could prove to be the answer as the man in the middle. To accomplish Miami’s playoff aspirations, the defense has to become a better, more consistent unit. The key will be for Misi to grasp the opportunity presented to him as he returns from injury.

All stats used are from Pro Football Focus' Premium Stats (subscription required) or Sports-Reference.com. All contract information is courtesy of Spotrac.

Ian Wharton is a Miami Dolphins Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report, contributor for Optimum Scouting, and analyst for FinDepth. 

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