Tag: Duke Riley

Grading the Dolphins linebackers after their 2023 season

A look at Miami’s linebackers, and the year they had in 2023.

The Miami Dolphins finished their 2023 campaign with an 11-6 record and made the postseason for the second time in as many years under head coach Mike McDaniel. Unfortunately, it came to an end with a loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in the wild-card round.

While other teams are in the midst of their playoff run, it’s time to do some reflecting on the team in South Florida.

Over the next couple of weeks, we’ll be reviewing and evaluating different positions for the Dolphins in 2023. Today, we’ll look at the linebackers.

Best moments from fourth episode of Dolphins ‘Hard Knocks’

Here’s what we saw in the fourth episode of “Hard Knocks.”

The Miami Dolphins have been on a roll in 2023, but they dropped their Monday night game against the Tennessee Titans to fall to 9-4 through the first 14 weeks of the season.

And, now, they have even more attention on them, as they’re the focus of this year’s edition of the in-season version of “Hard Knocks” on HBO and Max.

The fourth episode of the season aired on Tuesday night with more to follow weekly.

Here are some of the best moments from episode No. 4 (some are NSFW):

9 Dolphins leading their positions in AFC Pro Bowl votes after first update

Dolphins getting massive respect in Pro-Bowl voting.

Fan voting for the 2024 NFL Pro Bowl has opened and has been underway for about a week with the best players across both conferences up for consideration to represent their team in the Pro Bowl Games before the Super Bowl.

While the Miami Dolphins are hoping to be busy prepping for a game in Las Vegas, Nevada this year, they were heavily represented on the first update from the league.

In total, nine Dolphins led their positions in voting after a week. Here they are:

18 former Eagles to play against Philadelphia in 2023

We’re looking at the 18 former Eagles who’ll play against Phladelphia during the 2023 NFL regular season

The Eagles have the NFL’s most challenging schedule, and they’ll have several high-profile matchups against players that had success in the midnight green.

The NFL schedule construction is a unique process that’s become even more complex thanks to increased parity, spread-out star power, and several dominant teams vying for a Super Bowl every year.

After winning the NFC East, Philadelphia will play the first-place teams in the other three NFC divisions and the Chiefs and Bills.

Based on last year’s standings, the Eagles’ 17-game gauntlet features the league’s most formidable strength of schedule (.566 win percentage).

With training camp fast approaching, here are 18 former Eagles who’ll face off against Philadelphia.

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.

Analyzing the terms of Duke Riley’s deal with the Dolphins

Let’s take a deeper look into the contract.

While the NFL’s legal tampering period is coming to an end, the Miami Dolphins, along with the other 31 teams, were able to re-sign any of their own free agents.

One of the first moves that general manager Chris Grier made this offseason was re-signing linebacker Duke Riley before he could officially hit the market.

According to Over the Cap, Riley’s deal with the Dolphins is expected to be for $5 million over two seasons, with $2.25 million guaranteed and $1.17 million in the form of a signing bonus.

This means that, in 2023, Riley will receive $1.08 million in a fully guaranteed salary, $585,000 of his prorated bonus and $250,000 in per-game roster bonuses. Then, in 2024, his salary jumps to $2.25 million but the prorated signing bonus and per-game roster bonuses remain the same.

According to KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson, Riley also has annual playtime incentives of $500,000.

Grier was smart to restructure the deal in this way, as Miami could essentially move on from Riley in 2024 without much penalty ($585,000 in dead cap).

The former LSU Tiger is returning to an off-ball linebacking group that consists of Jerome Baker, Channing Tindall and, reportedly, David Long. With the way that new defensive coordinator Vic Fangio likes to use his linebackers, Riley could see an increase in opportunities going forward despite Long likely taking Elandon Roberts’ snaps.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

[mm-video type=video id=01gve4fdsx140se789g1 playlist_id=01eqbwhebtqp7ahdjt player_id=01eqbvhghtkmz2182d image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01gve4fdsx140se789g1/01gve4fdsx140se789g1-45455f8d00b4728ebb657b796206cf7c.jpg]

LB Duke Riley reacts to re-signing with Dolphins

He’s a fan of the city and the fan base.

The legal tampering period is open in the NFL, allowing for all 32 teams to agree to deals with players that are about to be free agents. Those deals don’t become official until the start of the league year.

However, a team can re-sign any of their pending free agents whenever they want, and that’s exactly what the Miami Dolphins did on Monday, as they signed linebacker Duke Riley to a two-year deal.

Riley returns to a linebacking room that will look different than it did last year. Elandon Roberts, Sam Eguavoen, Melvin Ingram and Andrew Van Ginkel are still free agents, and the Dolphins agreed to terms with David Long from the Tennessee Titans to play a major role at the position.

After agreeing to spend another two seasons in Miami, Riley took to social media to share his reaction with those who follow him.

While Riley has been a Dolphin for the last two seasons, this is the first time he’s getting a multi-year contract with the team. That type of commitment has to feel great, and it’s well-deserved.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

[mm-video type=video id=01gve4fdsx140se789g1 playlist_id=01eqbwhebtqp7ahdjt player_id=01eqbvhghtkmz2182d image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01gve4fdsx140se789g1/01gve4fdsx140se789g1-45455f8d00b4728ebb657b796206cf7c.jpg]

Dolphins to re-sign LB Duke Riley

Miami now has four athletic linebackers.

The Miami Dolphins have been fairly active in the first hours of the NFL’s legal tampering window.

After agreeing to deals with quarterback Mike White and linebacker David Long, the Dolphins are bringing back one of their own, as ESPN’s Adam Schefter is reporting that the team has reached an agreement with linebacker Duke Riley. The contract is expected to be a two-year deal.

Riley, 28, was originally signed by the Dolphins back in 2021. He then re-signed on a one-year deal last offseason. In his two years with Miami, he’s recorded 71 total tackles, two forced fumbles and one sack.

With Jerome Baker, Long and second-year player Channing Tindall at the position, Riley will likely continue to perform in a smaller role. The group is extremely athletic, allowing for defensive coordinator Vic Fangio to do some very creative things.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

[mm-video type=video id=01gve4fdsx140se789g1 playlist_id=01eqbwhebtqp7ahdjt player_id=01eqbvhghtkmz2182d image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01gve4fdsx140se789g1/01gve4fdsx140se789g1-45455f8d00b4728ebb657b796206cf7c.jpg]

5 under the radar defensive free agents for the Vikings to target

The Vikings will likely have to go bargain shopping during free agency. @TheKevinFielder identifies five defensive players they could target

Do you remember the Macklemore song called Thrift Shop?

Like Macklemore, the Minnesota Vikings will do a little thrift shopping this off-season. While the Vikings will have more than $20 to spend, general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mesah will still have to get creative.

The Vikings are currently $24 million over the cap, according to OverTheCap. Such a figure ranks 30th in the NFL, above the Arizona Cardinals ($56 million) and the New Orleans Saints ($30 million).

While the Vikings can make a handful of moves to get under the cap, they’ll still have to find some bargain-bin free agents to fill out their roster or get low-end starters.

For the sake of this experiment, we’ll look at five defensive free agents the Vikings can target. Determining an “under-the-radar” signing can be challenging, but we’re sticking to unrestricted free agents that won’t dominate the headlines.

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.