Tag: Andrew Van Ginkel

Andrew Van Ginkel awarded orange practice jersey at Friday OTA

Seems like the experiment is working for the LB.

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The Miami Dolphins hit the field on Friday for another round of organized team activities. This OTA will be the last session until their mandatory minicamp from June 6-8 before players are off until training camp in July.

Hitting the practice field at Baptist Health Training Facility, and orange-clad in reward-type recognition, was linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel.

As OTAs were approaching, it was reported that Van Ginkel was asked by new defensive coordinator Vic Fangio to play a bit of inside linebacker to add to his outside role.

Apparently, this move has been working in the early goings, as Van Ginkel repped the prestigious orange practice jersey, which has been given to a lone representative during workouts and is certainly to be viewed as an individual accolade.

A perk to the orange practice mesh would be selecting the day’s training music. Van Ginkel’s playlist is something that could be rather unique Friday morning, and that could be metaphorical to his potential this season.

Van Ginkel can be a unique linebacker for Fangio, utilizing his edge-rushing ability to blitz when needed on the outside and spell stars like Bradley Chubb and Jaelan Phillips. In fact, when Van Ginkel has blitzed the quarterback eight times or more in single games throughout his NFL career, the Dolphins have won 10 out of 11 of these occurrences.

Adding to his outside skills, a move inside can help keep Van Ginkel on the field more and in a rotation with players like Jerome Baker and newcomer David Long.

Putting Van Ginkel in each of these groupings should spike that 2022 snap count of a measly 29% back to the 71% range that he was on the field for in 2021.

While Long and Baker are your “starters” on the inside, Van Ginkel will be in the mix both inside and outside, and his awarding of the orange practice jersey is a telltale sign that the experiment is progressing properly.

The former Wisconsin Badger re-signed with Miami in March, while a number of other teams were interested in his services, as he inked a one-year $2.65 million deal with the Dolphins in the offseason. In his four NFL seasons, Van Ginkel has registered 181 total tackles (23 for a loss), 38 quarterback hits, 11 sacks and a pair of memorable touchdowns.

Van Ginkel will be a versatile force for Fangio and this defense, as he could handle pass-rush, run-stopping and coverage duties when called upon. He has also tallied 13 career passes defended and even led Miami in special teams tackles last season. It’ll remain to be seen if he’s still utilized on that coverage unit this season, especially with his now-added inside usage.

Van Ginkel is clearly going to be on the field more than he was last season and will be a very viable asset for Fangio as yet another “chess-piece” type of player for the defensive guru.

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Dolphins open OTAs with two strong sessions

Back to work.

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The Miami Dolphins are on the field and football action is back… sort of. The pads aren’t on yet, and not all players are present in the early days of Organized Team Activities. The Dolphins will have a few more scattered OTAs before a mandatory minicamp from June 6-8.

Until then, some veterans like Tyreek Hill, Connor Williams, Zach Sieler and Terron Armstead, to name a few, haven’t been on the field on Monday or Tuesday, but these are voluntary workouts. Sure, it’s nice to see closer to the full team, but there’s no worry whatsoever when it comes to attendance here.

Before we get into what can be said from the on-field action, which was opened to the media for the first time on Tuesday, news hit early on a player’s expansion of his role. Outside linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel, who was re-signed to a one-year deal in the offseason, got a call from new defensive coordinator Vic Fangio a week or so before OTAs and was approached with the idea of adding the inside area of linebacking to his game.

As confirmed by head coach Mike McDaniel on Tuesday, the move is in addition to his current job and not in place of.

“Position flexibility allows you to have an extra human available on game day,” McDaniel said about the concept to add to Van Ginkel’s plate. “It’s advantageous for us, and tough on opponents.”

As for the consensus of McDaniel’s assistants, the move is welcomed.

“The entire defensive staff thought he’s at the position he can handle that,” he stated.

The flexibility that Van Ginkel can bring to both the outside and inside linebacker groups would allow a rotation on the outside with fellow pass-rushers Bradley Chubb and Jaelan Phillips. On the interior, Van Ginkel could give breaks here and there to either Jerome Baker and/or new free agent David Long Jr.

Duke Riley will also help spell Long and Baker on the inside, but with the outside and inside ability, the goal will be to keep Van Ginkel on the field a whole lot more than last season. Unbelievably, at times, Van Ginkel’s 2022 seasonal usage was limited to just 29% of the year’s defensive snaps, which was a far cry from 2021’s 71%.

This plan should keep him more at that 70%-plus range, which would make him a key member of this linebacking group and could open up the potential Van Ginkel has shown in his role-playing thus far in Miami. It’s also to be noted, that Van Ginkel was the Dolphins’ leader in special team tackles last year with 12.

On the offensive side of things, penciled-in right tackle Austin Jackson showed up looking to be in phenomenal shape. How that translates on the field remains to be seen until pads come on in the summer, as well as hitting some opponents other than teammates.

Until then we can only go off history, which has been a lackluster start to his career since being drafted in the first round of the 2020 NFL draft. Without the fifth year of his rookie deal picked up by Miami, this is a contract season for Jackson, and should he impress and improve, he could add to his time with the team or simply make himself marketable as a 2024 free agent.

However, a spike in production and ability is far from a certainty, and general manager Chris Grier has hedged his right tackle bet slightly, with some scrap-heap free agent signings of more former first-round picks in Cedric Ogbuehi and Isaiah Wynn, who could be said to be under-achievers so far in the NFL as well.

The Dolphins also drafted Michigan tackle Ryan Hayes, who could even work at guard, and still have undrafted rookie free agent tackle James Tunstall, who could all provide a little competition in camp for Jackson.

With other tackles fighting for spots like Robert Jones, Kion Smith, Kendall Lamm and Geron Christian, at least entering the process, Jackson is seemingly locked-in to work. Like the Van Ginkel experiment, the conclusion remains to be seen, but at the very least, positive encouragement and momentum on both fronts are good ways to start 2023’s offseason.

What has been seen the last two days, has been the blazing speed of rookie running back De’Von Achane. A third-round pick in this April’s draft, and one that was much to the immediate delight of McDaniel upon his selection, Achane could factor heavily in total yardage for the Dolphins right away.

With his speed and shiftiness, Achane will be utilized as a runner, receiver and return man, making him a candidate to potentially challenge a rookie record. That belongs to Ted Ginn Jr, who holds the Dolphins’ seasonal all-purpose yardage record for a rookie (2,086).

In 2007, Ginn returned kicks and punts for 1,663 yards and added 420 receiving yards and three rushing yards. With Achane’s speed and versatility, it’s becoming more likely with each OTA rep that he could challenge this record. The overall total yardage record for Miami is currently held by Ricky Williams, who recorded 2,216 yards in his epic 2002 season.

Achane turned heads and impressed the media Tuesday. As beat writer Omar Kelly reported, the rookie made a great sideline catch which was placed beautifully by quarterback Tua Tagovailoa just out of the reach of a linebacker. That’s music to the ears of Dolphins fans.

Another worthy bullet point was the on-field attendance of defensive backs Nik Needham and Brandon Jones. Injured in consecutive weeks last season, the pair were seen doing some light jogging, but each is progressing well with their individual rehabs and could even avoid significant missed time, if any.

The Dolphins aren’t working on-field for OTA’s today, as they’ll resume Thursday, the 25th.

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OTAs start for Miami Dolphins with at least one player expanding his role

One linebacker could be getting a new role in 2023.

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We’re entering the back end of May, and from a football standpoint, that means that the pads aren’t necessarily on yet, but cleats and really awesome practice jerseys certainly are.

Monday morning officially started the Miami Dolphins organized team activity schedule for the 2023 offseason.

Monday, Tuesday and Thursday kick off OTAs, how they’re mainly referred to across football. They continue next week on the 30th and 31st and there’s one last session on June 2.

June 1 is a rather significant date for the Dolphins, as well as the brain trust of general manager Chris Grier and his partner in salary cap crime, er, construction, Brandon Shore. They’ll get $13.6 million dollars back on their side of the felt when cornerback Byron Jones officially comes off the books.

In addition, and potentially interestingly enough, there just may be a new participant or two for the last session in South Florida, before the entire team checks in for a mandatory minicamp from June 6-8. So, if Miami releases a pair of players or more this week or next, additions are all but a certainty post-June 1.

Shifting to the on-field activities, the Dolphins were back at it Monday morning and inside their Baptist Health Training Complex. As captured on social media and in continuation from last season, the orange practice jersey returned. Used to reward a player from the previous day’s work, wide receiver Jaylen Waddle repped the marvelous mesh in the opening OTA, which indicates nothing other than the third-year wideout is locked in and focused on 2023.

Before the Dolphins hit the field, the news of the day was tweeted by NFL Network reporter, and bonafide Dolphins insider, Cameron Wolfe.

Building on Wolfe’s Tweet, new defensive coordinator Vic Fangio in fact did bring the idea to Andrew Van Ginkel in the days leading into camp.

The specifics of the usage and whether it’s a full move to the inside or more a hybrid role with his outside duties remain to be seen. What’s for sure is that Van Ginkel needs a path to more than 29% of the defensive snaps, which was his rate last season under then-coordinator Josh Boyer.

A testament to the player he is, he supplemented this with top-end special teams play, participating in 68% of the snaps in the third phase of the game, even leading the team in special team tackles with 12.

Adding to this thread of preseason intrigue, Van Ginkel was literally inches from other opportunities, at least five, until a conversation was had when Fangio reached out to the fifth-year linebacker from Wisconsin.

One of the main reasons why Van Ginkel is still in Miami, Fangio could unlock his full potential, and a hybrid usage of inside and outside play could spike that snap count back up to over 70%, as it was in 2021. Should the inside experiment with Van Ginkel progress, it’d indicate a depth role behind ready-made inside linebackers, Jerome Baker and the newly signed free agent David Long.

Van Ginkel could, of course, also be within an outside linebacker rotation as well, that won’t feature a veteran from last season in Melvin Ingram. Playing in his 11th season, Ingram had a solid campaign for Miami as a one-year signed player, but he’s no longer with the team. Ingram played 512 snaps last season for 45% of the plays, and these downs could shift back to Van Ginkel.

Miami also said goodbye to inside linebacker Elandon Roberts, and with those 680 snaps at 59% of the defensive plays, you’d imagine Long is all but owning those downs on the interior of this unit. While Long and Baker could be the stalwarts, Van Ginkel and Duke Riley will add the ability to spell those “starters,” and each could see ample time on the inside of the second unit of the defense.

As for that snap count for Van Ginkel, in his career, it’s a statistically proven fact that when he plays often and is utilized right, Miami simply wins. When Van Ginkel blitzes eight or more times in a game the Dolphins are remarkably 10-1. He did this twice in 2022, and Miami was 1-1 with the loss coming against the Green Bay Packers game in Week 16.

When he blitzes nine or more times, Miami is 7-0 in his career. He was credited with a quarterback hit in six of those games, including 3.5 sacks. Furthermore, of those 10 wins, just one of them came last year when he was criminally under-utilized at under 30% of the defensive snaps on the season.

When Van Ginkel plays more than 70% of the snaps in a professional game, the Dolphins are 13-5. In those 18 games with that usage, his basic full season plus one game would read 74 tackles, 7.5 sacks, 14 tackles for loss and a whopping 23 quarterback hits.

If given the time on the field, the proof is in the production with Van Ginkel. With the coaching and faith clearly heading in his direction from Fangio, the former Badger could be one of, if not the most benefited from the addition of the veteran defensive mastermind.

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NFL Draft: Finding modern day linebackers

The linebacker position is changing in the NFL. @TheKevinFielder breaks down how the position has evolved and how the Vikings utilize them.

As NFL offenses change, so do the defenses that stop them.

It’s pretty simple, really. When NFL offenses go through their significant facelifts, defenses must find modern solutions to stop them.

The current trend has been the evolution and reliance on the passing game. Ten years ago, only three teams attempted over 650 passes, and only one threw over 700 (the Detroit Lions attempted 740). Last season, five teams eclipsed the 650 mark, and three reached 700.

As I explained in the power slot article, defenses are beginning to face unique challenges and must find modernized solutions. In the secondary, teams have used bigger defensive backs who can solve the issue of bigger receivers, but there haven’t been many solutions in the front seven.

Look, aerial offenses have led to a different kind of tight end. Teams no longer want the in-line tight ends who are extra blockers. Instead, they want tight ends that can run diverse route trees and impact the receiving game. As a result, we’ve seen tight ends like Kyle Pitts go in the top 10 of the NFL Draft.

Defenses are attempting to mitigate this problem by changing how they build linebacker rooms. Teams aren’t interested in thumpers anymore, and stopping the run has taken a step back to the pressing problem in front of them.

As a result, we’ve seen safeties move down to linebacker to help cover tight ends. We’ve also seen more teams embrace smaller and more athletic linebackers who can cover tight ends. It’s really just the reality of modern-day football; if you don’t adjust, you’ll struggle on defense. If you adjust, you’ll find that playing defense is an easier task than ever before.

Here are some of the “modern-day” linebackers in the 2023 NFL Draft and how they can impact the game.

Breaking down terms of Dolphins LB Andrew Van Ginkel’s new contract

His guarantees mean he’ll likely be on the roster for 2023.

The Miami Dolphins entered the offseason with a lot of questions in their front seven, as many linebackers were hitting free agency, including Elandon Roberts, Duke Riley, Sam Eguvoen, Melvin Ingram and Andrew Van Ginkel.

Luckily, Miami was able to retain a number of them, even Van Ginkel who returned after a lot of the bigger signings were already made.

According to Over the Cap, the Dolphins and Van Ginkel agreed to a one-year deal worth $2.65 million. He’ll make $1.51 million in a fully guaranteed base salary, $750,000 in a signing bonus, $340,000 in per-game roster bonuses and another $50,000 in workout bonuses. His cap hit for the 2023 season is set to be $2.65 million.

With the signing bonus and base salary fully guaranteed, Miami wouldn’t save too much if they were to move on from Van Ginkel before the start of the year. In fact, only $390,000 (roster bonuses and workout bonuses) would come off of their books, leaving $2.26 million in dead cap.

The Dolphins have a lot of talent on the edge heading into 2023, as they return Bradley Chubb, Jaelan Phillips and Emmanuel Ogbah. They also added Malik Reed to replace Melvin Ingram.

This will make it more difficult for Van Ginkel to find consistent opportunities, but he does have some versatility that may make him more important in other areas.

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Report: Patriots host three players for visit on Thursday

New England hosted a linebacker, safety, and a wide receiver for a visit on Thursday.

The New England Patriots are reportedly hosting three free agents on visits Thursday. Wide receiver Bisi Johnson, safety Taylor Rapp, and linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel are the three visitors, via Boston Herald’s Andrew Callahan.

Johnson was placed on injured reserve last August after suffering a torn ACL. He played two seasons with the Minnesota Vikings, recording 45 catches for 483 yards and three touchdowns.

Rapp has spent the last four seasons with the Los Angeles Rams. He recorded 92 tackles, two interceptions and a fumble recovery in 16 games last season.

Van Ginkel last played for the Miami Dolphins. He reported 47 combined tackles and an interception for Miami last season. He played in all 17 games.

These players could bolster their respective positions. Rapp could be vital for safety depth, while Van Ginkel could provide a solid presence in the linebacker room. Johnson would be able to add additional depth to a wide receiver room that is looking to retool.

New England has several areas to fill, as the free agency whirlwind continues. Here’s to hoping they will be able to make some additional moves.

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Grading the Miami Dolphins linebackers after their 2022 season

It was a bit of a mixed bag from the linebackers.

The Miami Dolphins have finished their search for a defensive coordinator, as Vic Fangio will officially take over once the Philadelphia Eagles’ season finishes in the Super Bowl.

Fangio will have a talented unit to work with, considering there will be a few from the 2022 team returning.

For now, we’ll keep reviewing the performances of different position groups from the last season.

After starting with the quarterbacks, running backs, wide receivers, tight ends, offensive linemen and defensive linemen, we’ll continue the defense with the second level. These are the grades for the Dolphins linebackers during the campaign.

What’s next for the Miami Dolphins after elimination?

Miami may look to make changes on the field and on the coaching staff.

As the eight remaining playoff teams get set for their weekend matchups, the Miami Dolphins front office and brain trust start their preparation for the 2023 season.

Following last Sunday’s playoff loss to the Buffalo Bills, head coach Mike McDaniel enters his first offseason process in ending a season and assessing players along with the people he hired or inherited on his staff.

This will be the first time in his career and, of course, with Miami, that McDaniel will work with the powers that be following a head-coaching performance and renovate the roster and staff while building at the same time.

On the player end of things, 31 Dolphins from this season will enter free agency. Of the big names in this group, tight end Mike Gesicki will likely have a number of suitors who’ll utilize him to the maximum of his ability and skill set. After posting a heartfelt message on social media, Gesicki, in a vague way, that while he loves Miami and is appreciative of the Dolphins, it appears the honeymoon is over.

Backup quarterback Teddy Bridgewater is also a free agent, and it’s not expected that he’ll be back in Miami Gardens next season following a year of injuries and underperformance. Staying on the offensive side of the ball, every single running back who recorded a carry for Miami in 2022, is now a free agent.

Raheem Mostert, Salvon Ahmed, Myles Gaskin and in-season addition Jeff Wilson, Jr. could all be on different teams next season, but it’s too early to speculate. With a loaded free agent running back class, the Dolphins could focus there, however, paying top dollar for a runner isn’t something that Chris Grier has proven to be in the market for in his tenure.

McDaniel brought a pair of San Fransisco wide receivers with him to Miami, River Cracraft and Trent Sherfield, and now they’re both free agents.

Defensively, the Dolphins have decisions to make regarding the homegrown talents of linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel and cornerback Nik Needham. Van Ginkel, a 2019 fifth-round draft pick out of Wisconsin is a valuable two-unit player for Miami, excelling on special teams and, more importantly, in the outside linebacker rotation for the Dolphins in a loaded room.

Needham was undrafted in that same year of 2019, and although initially cut, the Dolphins rewarded him a practice squad spot followed by an in-season promotion. Through trials by fire and social media, Needham worked to become a fixture in the Dolphins lineup as a second-year player in 2020, and, in 2021, he was one of the NFL’s top slot cornerbacks.

Needham suffered an Achilles injury in Week 6 against the Minnesota Vikings, and although a free agent now, and rehabbing ahead of schedule. He even told reporters that Miami has communicated that they have plans for him and are interested in bringing him back.

Both will have suitors beyond the Dolphins, as Needham was recently signed by Athletes First, a top-tier agency representing a long list of NFL talent. Van Ginkel is also being courted by heavy-hitting representation, so these are situations to track this offseason.

Veteran defenders such as captain Elandon Roberts, Melvin Ingram, Eric Rowe and Duke Riley enter free agency, so that makes four free-agent linebackers who saw significant snaps in 2022. You can add in a fifth in Sam Eguavoen as well.

The Dolphins inked punter Thomas Morstead to a one-year deal last offseason. He had a fine year on the field and became a fan favorite off of it. Miami would be wise to throw another one-year deal his way with his work ethic and leadership.

There are a number of other veteran free agents Miami has decisions to make on, as well as coaching. McDaniel brought in his offensive coaching staff upon being hired in Miami, but essentially inherited the defensive crew, led by coordinator Josh Boyer.

Boyer was originally hired by former head coach Brian Flores. While last season had a bit of controversy as to who exactly was running the show on defense regarding play-calling, Boyer was retained last offseason despite the firing of Flores.

UPDATE: Boyer was fired on Thursday, along with three members of his staff.

This season, a talented Dolphins defense was underwhelming through the course of the season but did sustain a slew of significant injuries to key players. Emmanuel Ogbah, Brandon Jones, Needham and not to mention the Byron Jones saga, all led to Boyer playing with a limited deck.

Miami finished 2022 18th in total defense and 24th in scoring defense. The main issue was on third downs, as they were tied for the NFL’s 24th-ranked unit here, and, many times throughout the season, it was key conversions that plagued the Dolphins.

At the moment, it’s not confirmed one way or another if Boyer will be retained, and another coach where the speculation is flying is special teams coordinator Danny Crossman. The Dolphins ranked near the bottom of the league in special teams categories.

Now that 24 teams are looking to 2023, the coaching carousel is underway, but the timetables will be anybody’s guess on what, when, who and how this will play out from a staffing side.

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Badgers in the 2023 NFL Playoffs

There are over a dozen of former Wisconsin Badger football players that are on the rosters of this season’s NFL playoff teams.

Wisconsin Football prides itself on producing winners on the field and there are many former Badgers scattered throughout the NFL’s 2023 Playoff teams!

News, notes ahead of Dolphins-Browns matchup

Things to note prior to Miami’s Week 10 battle.

The Dolphins return to the friendly confines of Hard Rock Stadium this Sunday on the heels of a successful pair of consecutive road games and their second three-game winning streak of the season.

Miami sits at 6-3, as the Cleveland Browns head to South Florida at 3-5, led by former Miami Dolphins quarterback Jacoby Brissett.

The man Brissett backed up during his tenure, is putting on an MVP-level 2022 campaign. Tua Tagovailoa is 6-0 when starting and completing games this season and 12-2 overall in his last 14 games.

Tagovailoa has been incredible on the road this season, completing 94 of his 130 attempts (72.3%) for 1,263 yards, 12 touchdowns, three interceptions and a 124 passer rating.

Heading into Week 10, the Dolphins are second in the league in yards per play (6.33), with the first being the Buffalo Bills and the Kansas City Chiefs just behind Miami.