"This is an exciting day for me and the Miami Dolphins," Head Coach Mike McDaniel said Thursday as he introduced the team's new defensive coordinator, Anthony Weaver, to the local media.
Weaver and McDaniel have known each other for almost 20 years, dating back to their time together with the Houston Texans when McDaniel was an offensive assistant and Weaver played defensive end from 2006-08.
"I had a tremendous amount of respect when I played under him directly," Weaver said. "Then when I had the opportunity to coach with him in Cleveland [in 2014], I was like, 'Oh, he's special.'
Weaver comes to Miami from the Baltimore Ravens, where he spent the last three seasons, most recently as assistant head coach/defensive line. He helped the Ravens lead the NFL in scoring defense (16.5 points allowed per game) en route to a 13-4 record and the top seed in the AFC playoffs.
While the 13-year coaching veteran plans to bring elements of Baltimore's scheme to Miami, he also understands the importance of marrying scheme with skillset and the ability to adjust and accommodate for the ebbs and flows of a 17-game regular season.
"I think in this league, it's hard to just pigeon-hole yourself as one particular thing because you're going to face different situations throughout the entire year, whether it's weather, injuries. There's a multitude of factors and your scheme better be flexible enough to adapt to the players and adapt to whatever situation you may be in."
Despite being in the South Florida sun for only a short period of time, Weaver has already noticed certain elements of Miami's defensive play from 2023 that stand out regardless of scheme or position.
"There are probably multiple guys on every level of defense that you can get excited about … When you watch the film, these guys play hard."
As McDaniel stated when Weaver was first announced as an addition to the 2024 coaching staff, the two hold a shared belief that player development is the cornerstone to both team building and sustained excellence.
A former player himself, Weaver plans to utilize those experiences from his seven-year NFL career as he builds relationships with his players on and off the field.
"I think that's been a huge asset for me just in general throughout my coaching career. Not necessarily for the ups of what I did while I played, but more of the hardships and adversity that I faced, because I can help coach guys through that so they can persevere and ultimately, hopefully, be better than I was at those same situations.
"I know how finite this career is, and because of that, I take my responsibility in a leadership position as a defensive coordinator extremely, extremely important. I don't want to waste anybody's very finite time in this league. Because of that, man, we want to be great in all that we do."
As he embarks on his second stint as an NFL defensive coordinator, Weaver sees 2024 as a chance to help Miami continue building off its back-to-back postseason appearances.
"The opportunity to come here as a team that has had the success they've had, shoot, how do you pass on that?"
