New Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel was pretty clear in his me sage when he retained defensive coordinator Josh Boyer (as well as a few of his a sistants) that Alex Delvecchio Jersey he liked the team’s defense and was hoping to maintain the status quo there.It’s now playing out the same way as the new league year approaches.The latest move the team made in the lead-up to free agency came late Tuesday morning and it involved agreeing on a new one-year contract with linebacker Elandon Roberts, who became the fourth defensive player who the Dolphins secured before the start of free agency.Roberts joined fellow linebacker Duke Riley and defensive end Emmanuel Ogbah, who each signed a new contract, and cornerback Nik Needham, whose return the Dolphins pretty much guaranteed when they gave him a second-round tender as a restricted free agent.By contrast, all of the pending unrestricted free agents with whom the Dolphins have come to terms have been offensive players QB Teddy Bridgewater, RB Chase Edmonds, WR Cedrick Wilson Jr. and G Connor Williams.This again isn’t happening by accident.Scroll Howie Morenz Jersey to ContinueIf you recall McDaniel’s comments, the Dolphins defense left a major impre sion on him when Miami defeated the 49ers, 43-17, in San Francisco during the 2020 season.The blueprint appears to be to improve the offense while at the very least maintaining the level of play on defense.It could be argued the Dolphins could have used an upgrade an inside linebacker, Josh Leivo Jersey and they still might add a player in free agency or the draft, but they’re also set up now to run it back with the same top three as last year with Roberts, Riley and Jerome Baker.Interestingly, this marks the third straight offseason where Roberts signs a one-year deal with the Dolphins, which is a testament in one way to the positive impact he’s made on the team on and off the field.And remember the Dolphins signed him to a second contract last offseason despite the fact Roberts still was recovering from a torn ACL he sustained in the wild Week 16 victory at Brock McGinn Jersey Las Vegas in December 2020.Without question, Roberts brings a physical element to the Dolphins defense and his play against the run has been solid for his two seasons with the team.The Dolphins still have eight other pending free agents from their defense (John Jenkins, Brennan Scarlett, Sam Eguavoen, Justin Coleman, Jamal Perry, Jason McCourty, Vince Biegel, Sheldrick Redwine), and at this point we shouldn’t be surprised if any or even all of them are brought back.