Tag: Duke Riley

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.

Here are ratings for Dolphins EDGE and LBs in Madden 23

The highest-ranked Dolphin at these positions might be a bit surprising.

With the end of another NFL offseason insight, football fans are eagerly awaiting the release of the newest installment of the Madden video game series, Madden 23.

After the release of wide receiver and tight end ratings on Monday, EA Sports, the publishers of the game, released EDGE defender and linebacker ratings on Tuesday. The Dolphins have a top 10 linebacker and a top 10 defensive end, according to Madden.

Here’s a look at most of Miami’s EDGE defenders and linebacker ratings for launch and how they compare to other players at the same position

  • Melvin Ingram – 84 overall (No. 9 LOLB)
  • Emmanuel Ogbah – 83 overall (No. 7 LE)
  • Jerome Baker – 79 overall (No. 18 MLB)
  • Andrew Van Ginkel – 77 overall (t-No. 15 LOLB)
  • Jaelan Phillips – 76 overall (t-No. 20 ROLB)
  • Brennan Scarlett – 71 overall (t-No. 26 LOLB)
  • Elandon Roberts – 70 overall (t-No. 53 MLB)
  • Sam Eguavoen – 70 overall (t-No. 39 ROLB)
  • Adam Butler – 69 overall (t-No. 33 RE)
  • Channing Tindall – 68 overall (t-No. 67 MLB)
  • Duke Riley – 66 overall (t-No. 84 MLB)
  • Porter Gustin – 65 overall (t-No. 58 ROLB)
  • Cameron Goode – 63 overall (t-No. 71 LOLB)
  • Darius Hodge – 61 overall (t-No. 83 ROLB)
  • Calvin Munson – 59 overall (t-No. 130 MLB)

There will be more ratings coming out before the game’s release on August 19.

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2022 Dolphins position preview: Breaking down LBs ahead of camp

Let’s talk the second-level, from Jerome Baker to Cameron Goode.

The Miami Dolphins rookies are set to return to the facility on Tuesday, July 19, with the rest of the team reporting Tuesday, July 26. From that point, Miami will begin their first training camp sessions under head coach Mike McDaniel before his first season with the organization.

This time is important to discuss the state of the Dolphins’ roster and assess each position before they get a chance to hold true competitions.

We’ve talked about quarterbacks, running backs, wide receivers, tight ends and offensive linemen and defensive linemen, but now it’s time to slide back in the defense to break down the linebackers on the roster.

Dolphins have a number of unsung heroes in all three phases

The fanbase should be showing more love to these guys.

Every football team needs a few stars in order to be legitimate contenders in the NFL. However, sometimes it’s the role players and unsung heroes sprinkled across rosters that could be the difference between playoff contention and Super Bowl contention.

Football is the quintessential team game, with three phases needed for success. The Miami Dolphins have several players scattered across the offense, defense and special teams who may not have their names mentioned as much as others, yet their value is immeasurable for team success.

Let’s start with a player who’s silently become one of the league’s most underrated and consistent defensive linemen. Zach Sieler, who was picked up on waivers in 2019 after a year in Baltimore, has fit in nicely in a defensive line rotation and even earned himself a payday from the Dolphins in 2020 with a three-year extension. Sieler played in all 17 games in 2021 and had 62 total tackles. He added a pair of sacks, recovered two fumbles and forced one while being the consummate run-stuffer.

Sieler was PFF’s 2021 highest-graded Miami Dolphins player at 84.8

Moving over to offense, the Dolphins are two years removed from having the franchise’s most prolific season at the tight end position ever, thanks to the output from Mike Gesicki, Adam Shaheen and Durham Smythe combining for 91 receptions, 1,061 yards, and 11 touchdowns in 2020.

Last season, Smythe played in every game and had career highs in catches, yards, and first downs. He wasn’t able to find the endzone, but that’s not something Smythe cares too much about. Recently re-signed during this off-season, Smythe is extremely valuable as he proved last season with his constant reliability. When thrown to in 2021, quarterbacks had a quarterback rating of 92.8%, and Smythe caught 82.9% of his targets. He reeled in 34 receptions last season, and 15 went for first downs.

Finally, we look at special teams. This slot was ready for Mack Hollins, but the gunner extraordinaire/wide receiver will be playing for the Las Vegas Raiders in 2022. However, a current captain leads the Dolphins’ special teams unit, and, in his upcoming third season in Miami, Clayton Fejedelem is a safe bet to retain the “C” on his jersey.

A team-appointed captain for his tenure in Miami thus far, Fejedelem was in on 85% of the Dolphins’ special teams snaps in 2021. He was among the team leaders in special teams tackles last season and should continue his leadership role in 2022.

Miami does have other role-players of heavy value, including depth defensive lineman, Adam Butler, who played admirably filling in for the injured Raekwon Davis early in the season. Butler had an excellent second half of the year, gathering a pair of sacks and three passes defended after Week 8.

Let’s also not forget versatile offensive lineman, Michael Deiter, who was praised by the Dolphins brass at the recent league meetings. The Wisconsin product can play any position on the line and showed promise at center before an injury limited to just eight games in 2021. If not center, Deiter will be a factor in camp battles on the right side at guard or even tackle.

Honorable mentions go to re-signed linebackers Duke Riley and Elandon Roberts, who are high-motor, energetic veterans who tend to make momentum-building plays. Roberts has a knack for noisy hits, and Riley plays two phases of the game and was among the team leaders in special team tackles last season.

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Breaking down Dolphins LB Duke Riley’s new contract

The guaranteed money means he will certainly make the team.

The Miami Dolphins have done a ton this offseason to improve from a 2021 team that failed to make the postseason, marking the fifth year in a row that Miami finished their season early.

With all of the moves that general manager Chris Grier and the other Dolphins decision-makers completed involving external free agents, it’s not surprising that some of their re-signings haven’t been talked about quite as much. This may include the decision to re-sign linebacker Duke Riley.

Riley, 27, is coming back for his second season with Miami after spending time with both the Atlanta Falcons and Philadelphia Eagles. With no big changes at the position for the Dolphins, to this point, it’s likely that Riley will return to his roles on defense and special teams.

The contract that the former LSU Tiger signed is a one-year deal that’s worth $3 million. According to Over the Cap, it has a $1.25 million base salary that is fully guaranteed. He also received a $1 million signing bonus and $750,000 in per-game roster bonuses. His cap hit for 2022 is roughly $2.96 million.

With Riley, Elandon Roberts, Brennan Scarlett and Sam Eguavoen all returning for at least this year, there probably won’t be much change in the tasks of these linebackers. Riley may be asked to cover a bit more than he did last season, as he gave up a team-low 67.6 passer rating against.

While some of the Dolphins who were brought in or re-signed aren’t guaranteed to make the team, Riley is essentially a lock. If Miami were to release him, they would create $2.25 million in dead money while only saving about $706,000. So, expect to see him wearing aqua and orange later this year.

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Dolphins to re-sign linebacker Duke Riley

It’s just a one-year deal for the linebacker.

The Miami Dolphins are continuing to stay busy through the second day of the NFL’s legal tampering period, but this time, they’re signing one of their own.

According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Dolphins have agreed to a new, one-year, $3 million contract with linebacker Duke Riley. Riley was scheduled to hit free agency when the league year opened Wednesday afternoon.

Riley, 27, played in 16 games in 2021, recording 26 total tackles for the Dolphins. He will likely be used again in a limited role in 2022, helping to cover some of the tight ends and running backs in pass coverage.

With the Dolphins possibly moving on from Elandon Roberts, there are some open snaps heading into next year. Maybe some of those could go to Riley.

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Dolphins free agent profile: Is Duke Riley primed to return in 2022

The Dolphins have five pending free agents at linebacker.

New head coach Mike McDaniel and general manager Chris Grier are preparing for the start of free agency when the league year opens on March 16. Teams can begin talking to other teams’ pending free agents during the legal tampering period on Monday, March 14.

For the Dolphins, they have 24 unrestricted and restricted free agents remaining after they tagged tight end Mike Gesicki, placed a second-round tender on cornerback Nik Needham, and tendered two exclusive-rights free agents.

One position where they have quite a few pending free agents is linebacker, including Duke Riley, who is set to the unrestricted market.

Riley, 27, signed with the Dolphins last offseason on a one-year deal worth just over $1.1 million. Prior to his time with Miami, he spent two years with Atlanta Falcons, where he was selected as a third-round pick in 2017 out of LSU, and two years with the Philadelphia Eagles.

In his lone season with Miami, Riley played in 16 games, recording 26 total tackles. He played a limited role on defense (21% of snaps), but he was a solid contributor on special teams (59% of snaps).

With the Dolphins group of linebackers not being the best in coverage, Riley shined in that area, as Pro Football Focus had him giving up a team-low 67.6 passer rating against (six completions on 11 targets for 53 yards) at the position.

At this point, the Dolphins linebacker room is looking empty for 2022, as Jerome Baker and Andrew Van Ginkel are the only backers under contract. Riley, Elandon Roberts, Sam Eguavoen, Brennan Scarlett, and Vince Biegel are all free agents.

Miami will probably be looking for upgrades at the position, especially with Baker shining when moving to the edge at points in 2021. Even if they do move on from some of these guys, they could still use a decent coverage linebacker who fills multiple roles, and that could be Riley’s job going in 2022.

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Grading the Miami Dolphins linebackers after their 2021 season

Most of the linebackers lived up to expectations.

The Miami Dolphins are nearing the end of their coaching search after firing Brian Flores on Black Monday, so this is as good of a time as any to review and evaluate the performances of the guys who were actually on the field this past season.

We’ll be going through different position groups over the next week or so and reviewing how they played in 2021. After starting with the rookies, 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 this campaign.

Dolphins expect 5 players back from COVID list on Wednesday

The COVID list would stand at eight players.

The Miami Dolphins have had their fair share of COVID-19 issues in the last few weeks, but they got some good news on Wednesday.

During his media availability, head coach Brian Flores announced that cornerback Justin Coleman, linebacker Duker Riley, center Greg Mancz, guard Robert Jones, and tight end Cethan Carter would all return from the reserve/COVID list.

All five guys missed last week’s game against the Saints. Miami was able to make it through, but it would be nice to have as many guys available as possible.

If no one goes on the COVID list later today, the Dolphins will have eight players on the list including safety Brandon Jones, wide receiver Albert Wilson, wide receiver Preston Williams, defensive tackle John Jenkins, guard Solomon Kindley, practice squad guard Durval Queiroz Neto, wide receiver Allen Hurns (IR), and wide receiver Lynn Bowden Jr. (IR).

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