Miami Dolphins safety Jevon Holland has a full plate in Vic Fangio’s defensive scheme

The Miami Dolphins made Vic Fangio the highest-paid defensive coordinator in the National Football League to be the rising tide that lifts all boats on that side of the football.

Safety Jevon Holland is one of those metaphorical ships hoping to benefit from Fangio’s 20-plus seasons as a defensive coordinator.

“Vic is a hell of a coach and he explains things in a very detailed manner,” Holland said on Thursday. “So I think because of that, everybody’s gathering the information pretty well.

“This is an entirely different scheme so it’s completely different. It’s like a whole 180 change, basically.”

Holland spent his first two NFL seasons in Josh Boyer’s blitz-heavy defense but had a different role each year. As a rookie, Holland registered seven quarterback hits and three tackles for a loss.

The former second-round pick served as the team’s centerfielder in 2022. His quarterback hits and tackles for a loss both dropped to just one, but he set a career-best with 96 tackles, 27 more than he had in 2021.

Holland caught four interceptions and has four sacks in his career — numbers that could balloon with Fangio’s guidance.

“I find myself doing a lot, moving around, being able to make plays, communicate,” Holland said of the new scheme. “It puts me in a position to be able to help my team.”

That being said, the former Oregon standout understands that coaching is only part of the equation.

“I mean I feel like you always have more to learn about the game,” Holland said. “There are 2,000 things that happen in football but only 200 a coach can tell you. So, through experience and through practice and whatnot, that’s kind of how you gather that information.

“There’s always going to be stuff that changes, always going to be things that arise that you have to talk about and council with your coaches and other players.”

Opposing quarterbacks eviscerated Miami’s 28th-ranked defense to the tune of 239.3 yards per game last season — scheme alone will benefit cornerbacks and the defense as a whole.

The Dolphins begin the preseason against the Atlanta Falcons on Aug. 11 — the first opportunity to see what Fangio is building for Miami’s talented roster.