The Miami Dolphins recorded their first major loss to the roster during training camp practices – 2019 breakout defender Vince Biegel is believed to have lost the year with what is reported as a sprained left Achilles tendon. Make no mistake, the loss of Biegel hurts the Dolphins. He served as one of the Spark Plugs in the top seven and served as one of Miami’s best pass rushers on the roster.
All that in a player swap with the New Orleans Saints to send LB Kiko Alonso away has the merits of a good deal for Miami. But without Biegel in the fray this year, Miami will have to change its script for what the base defense looks like this season.
While Miami looks set to recreate the pecking order, we can be thankful that Biegel’s play did not leave the Dolphins in a sense of security with their staff on the edge; the team brought in several prominent bodies to man the perimeter of the control line for Brian Flores’ defense.
Who are the best candidates to step in and fill the void left with Biegel’s loss? Here are three Dolphins defenders who could get a look.
OLB Andrew Van Ginkel
Van Ginkel, a fellow former Wisconsin Badger, has two years of experience and exposure playing in the same college defense as Biegel did. The trade-off between the two is simple – Van Ginkel is more athletic, Biegel is stouter on the line of scrimmage. At least that was the case in Wisconsin and it was the case last year. We got a limited look at Van Ginkel in 2019 after an injury from an early season, but Brian Flores has offered some encouraging words from Van Ginkel this morning.
‘I think he’s had a good season. He works really hard. His power is up. I think the jump from the first to the second year, as some call it, is important, ”said Flores.
‘I think he took that seriously and made a lot of improvements, and you can see that kind of thing right now in his game. Whether that translates into field production remains to be seen; but I’m happy with where he is. ”
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