Miami Dolphins fans have collectively waiting for the floodgates to open with the team’s “legal tampering window”; offering hardly the splash that the Dolphins created last season and instead a more calculated approach. It seems as though Miami is looking for a singular “big fish” on the free agent market at the wide receiver position and will be content to let other teams spend big on attracting top-flight names instead.
But while Miami has been quiet, they haven’t been completely missing in action. The Athletic’s Josh Tolentino nailed down this evening that the Dolphins will be bringing back rush linebacker Vince Biegel on a one-year contract after a torn Achilles ended his 2020 season before things ever got started.
The #Dolphins are close to finalizing a one-year deal with LB Vince Biegel, according to league sources.
Biegel led Miami in quarterback hits with 13 in 2019, but tore his Achilles during camp in August. Team is expecting Biegel to make full recovery and contribute in '21.
— Josh Tolentino (@JCTSports) March 15, 2021
Tolentino’s report has since been confirmed by outlets such as ESPN and the Palm Beach Post, giving the Dolphins another rotational presence on the edge to presumably eat up some of the snaps vacated by the departing Kyle Van Noy this offseason.
Biegel was one of the standout defenders from Miami’s scrappy 5-11 squad from year one of the Brian Flores era, providing great energy and effort up front after Miami netted him in a trade with the New Orleans Saints for linebacker Kiko Alonso. Biegel finished the 2019 season with 2.5 sacks, 59 total tackles, 7 tackles for loss, 13 QB hits and an interception, well worth a flier from the Dolphins entering 2021 to see if he can retain his effectiveness as a rotational player in Miami’s overhauled defensive front. Biegel will find reps tougher to come by in this new look front versus the one he took 625 snaps in back in 2019, but his sweat equity with the Dolphins has clearly motivated Miami to run it back and push him to claim as big of a role as he possibly can.