MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — The Miami Dolphins have fired Josh Boyer after three seasons as the team's defensive coordinator, the team announced Thursday.
"I am grateful for Josh’s contributions this year and throughout his tenure with the Dolphins," Miami coach Mike McDaniel said in a statement released by the Dolphins. "The defense made strides through the season, so coming to this decision was not easy, but ultimately I feel it is in the best long-term interests of the Miami Dolphins and the continued growth of our players and team."
McDaniel, who was hired by the Dolphins last February, retained Boyer from former Dolphins coach Brian Flores' coaching staff to keep continuity after a strong end to the 2021 season on defense.
We have parted ways with defensive coordinator Josh Boyer and made additional changes to the coaching staff.
— Miami Dolphins (@MiamiDolphins) January 19, 2023
Boyer's group dealt with a lot of injuries on that side of the ball, particularly in the secondary.
From 2021 to 2022, Miami went from 16th to 24th in scoring defense, from third to tied for 14th in sacks and from 10th to tied for 30th in takeaways.
The Dolphins finished the 2022 season ranked 18th in total defense, 27th in passing defense and tied for 24th on third downs.
Miami also fired safeties coach Steve Gregory, outside linebackers coach Ty McKenzie and assistant linebackers coach Steve Ferentz.
The moves come after general manager Chris Grier and McDaniel said Monday that they would take a little while to sort out their staff after a disappointing collapse from 8-3 to 9-9 in 2022, including a loss to Buffalo in the first round of the playoffs.