With a pair teams set to report for training camp in only two weeks, we are able to start to have a look at each team’s roster makeup and determine how things might play out. In Miami, a recent influx of talent at linebacker could make veteran offseason addition Ronnie Harrison a free agent again before the beginning of the season.
Harrison signed to hitch a Dolphins team transitioning between defensive schemes and returning a good group from last yr. Once they ran mostly in a 3-4 base defense under former defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver, Jordyn Brooks and Tyrel Dodson dominated playing time for Miami’s off-ball linebackers. After Brooks and Dodson, three safeties played more snaps within the box than the Dolphins’ backup linebackers.
While latest defensive coordinator Sean Duggan runs a spread defensive looks, the bottom defense is 4-3, introducing an extra spot for an off-ball linebacker. On its surface, that looks like a positive development for Harrison, an experienced veteran with starting time under his belt, but Miami clearly knew it needed bodies to compete for that third spot because it worked efficiently so as to add talent within the offseason.
Brooks and Dodson are joined of their return by veteran Willie Gay Jr., a former full-time starter for the Chiefs who began two games in his first yr with the Dolphins last yr. With Brooks and Dodson dominating the playing time, Gay put up some profession lows with fewer snaps, but he’s got experience as a starter and experience playing amongst his fellow Dolphins, and the team opted to not let him walk after they re-signed him in free agency.
Harrison’s other competition all comes from this past yr’s draft. Ohio State’s Sonny Styles got recognition throughout the pre-draft process as the category’s best linebacker, but Texas Tech’s Jacob Rodriguez stole all of the headlines throughout the school football season. The unanimous All-American got Heisman votes and won two awards for the most effective defensive player within the country (Bronko Nagurski Trophy & Chuck Bednarik Award) in addition to the Butkus Award for the nation’s top linebacker. Over the past two seasons, he combined for 255 total tackles, 22.5 tackles for loss, six sacks, six interceptions, 10 passes defensed, 4 fumble recoveries, and 10 forced fumbles, including an NCAA-leading seven last yr.
Rodriguez is joined by two others within the rookie class, though they weren’t strictly generally known as linebackers on the collegiate level. Each of the team’s fourth-round picks, Trey Moore and Kyle Louis, have been getting time at linebacker within the offseason, in accordance with Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. Moore split his time evenly in Austin, playing off-ball and on the sting for the Longhorns. The Texas-product is predicted to proceed working at each spots within the NFL, per Jackson. Louis was considered a security coming out of Pitt, where he played mostly within the box while covering a very good amount within the slot, as well.
Brooks and Dodson are locks for roster spots, as are the three rookies, most definitely, and it’s rarely that a team is seeking to carry for than five players at linebacker. So, if any spots can be found, it might be only one Harrison must compete for with Gay and Jackson Woodard, an undrafted rookie last yr. Gay is likely to be a tricky matchup for Harrison, too, as he holds a bit more consistent past starting experience and familiarity with the team.
It’s not all doom for Harrison, though, and his saving grace may come consequently of returning to his hybrid safety role. For much of his early profession in Jacksonville and Cleveland, Harrison played a hybrid safety-linebacker position weighing a bit more towards safety. The Dolphins saw three players — Minkah Fitzpatrick, Ashtyn Davis, and Ifeatu Melifonwu — play similar roles last yr, and all three defenders now play for other teams. Per Jackson, the team seems to love fifth-round Texas rookie Michael Taaffe and last yr’s fifth-rounder Dante Trader Jr. to fill those roles this yr with veteran Lonnie Johnson Jr. and special teams ace Zayne Anderson backing them up.
With so many latest additions on the linebacker position, Harrison’s recent transition to a more consistent linebacker role seems to have bitten him. If the Dolphins resolve they’d like a bit more experience with a lot turnover within the secondary, though, Harrison might give you the option to secure a task by tapping into his old position. Moreover, a rebuilding Dolphins team with numerous young talent could also be seeking to trade Brooks or Dodson if the season gets off to a chilly start, though they’ve expressed interest in extending Brooks. If either player is dealt, a bit more room on the roster may turn into available for a hybrid-type of player.