The Dolphins defense has a lot to clean up after Week 1, but one presence showed the kind of leadership that could steady things amid the storm

Leadership, insight, and accountability are great. It won't matter much if the results aren't better. But Weaver's availability is worth credit amid the scope of players-only meetings and the talk of culture around Miami this offseason. Weaver's first question afforded him an opportunity to fall on the sword — which he did.

"I'll start with Willie (Gay Jr.), I’ve got to find a way to get Willie on the field and I told him that the next day," said Weaver.

"There was a plan certainly to get him in the game; plans change. There was some chaos there for a little bit, but I need to get him (in). He’s impactful. He’s earned the right to get on the field, so I’ve got to make that happen."

Gay Jr., after an electric training camp, received no snaps on Sunday. Everyone knows that's not good enough but Miami's defensive coordinator deserves a nod for owning it. Weaver approached his player critiques with tact, was willing to explain scheme shortcomings and why the Dolphins chose to play different calls at different moments, and he also echoed confidence in his players to get it right. There was assertions that players who played well would be moving up in the depth chart, as he alluded to with rookie safety Dante Trader Jr. He was a steady presence at the podium and, from afar, instilled confidence in me as I listened that the Dolphins defense will make corrections. I think it's fair to expect that to unfold.

Remember, this is a Dolphins defense that has a lot of young players playing big roles. Four rookies played 133 combined total snaps in this game. First-round rookie Kenneth Grant played 44 snaps, fifth-round nickel cornerback Jason Marshall played 34, fellow fifth-round rookie tackle Jordan Phillips played 33 and Trader Jr., the team's third fifth-round draft choice, played 22. When you include second-year players, the number jumps to 199 combined snaps.

Newcomers to Miami's secondary Jack Jones and Rasul Douglas played 112 combined snaps and neither corner was with the team at the start of training camp — Douglas was signed after the final preseason game. This is all a far cry from the offensive side of the ball, where only one player who does not have multiple years in the program played more than 20 snaps on Sunday.

This is a team in transition and the idea of continuity in the scheme did indeed betray the Dolphins in this game. But at least you can point to a lot of new pieces and Weaver's logical explanations for the how and why of things going wrong and see a pathway to improvement on defense. How fast it happens will be critical for Miami's 2025 season outlook. But amid the storm, one thing Weaver impressed on Thursday was that this team was going to get cracking straight away. Let's see how the chips fall this Sunday against New England.

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