The Dolphins are set to be without a key defensive role player this season. Linebacker Vince Biegel suffered an Achilles’ tendon tear Tuesday, Josh Tolentino of The Athletic tweets.
A fourth-year defender, Biegel started 10 games for the Dolphins last season. He led the team with 13 quarterback hits. The former Packers draftee entered 2019 without any QB hits in his previous two seasons.
Biegel and the Dolphins were discussing an extension in January. While the pandemic prompted many teams to table extension talks, Biegel’s value will take a serious hit with Tuesday’s news. The Dolphins tendered the former fourth-round pick as an RFA this offseason.
While the Dolphins featured plenty of opportunities for previously under-the-radar players to see playing time last season, they featured some experience at linebacker in Raekwon McMillan and Jerome Baker. Biegel still played 56% of Miami’s defensive snaps — after previously never clearing the 12% threshold while with the Packers and Saints — and recorded 59 tackles and an interception.
Look for Grugier-Hill and Elandon Roberts to receive most run defense snaps, while rookie Curtis Weaver gets an opportunity as a pass-rusher. Weaver was very productive in college, so it’ll be interesting to see how he transitions to the pros
Analysis of film revealed that the injury took place when Biegel was running. He simply tripped on his long ears.