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Channing Tindall

Latest On Dolphins’ Position Battles

August 10th, 2024 at 4:26pm CST by Ely Allen

For the most part, the Dolphins are set in their depth chart for the 2024 season with many starters returning or free agents settling in. That being said, Miami is working through a few position battles as we inch our way towards eventual roster cuts.

According to Mike Florio of NBC Sports, one such battle focuses on who comes off the bench for the lead man behind center. Head coach Mike McDaniel claims that backup quarterbacks Mike White and Skylar Thompson are “neck and neck” in their battle to be the primary relief behind Tua Tagovailoa. Last year, White emerged as the winner of what McDaniel called a “pretty close race” with Thompson.

White impressed in seven starts in replacement duty during his first two seasons with the Jets. Miami signed him to a two-year contract, but with Tagovailoa staying completely healthy in 2023, White only appeared in garbage time. Thompson saw two starts in replacement duty for Tagovailoa two years ago, appearing in seven games as a seventh-round rookie and nearly leading the team to a playoff win over the Bills in a Wild Card start. Signs point to White likely retaining the job, but McDaniel insists that a bit of intrigue remains in the competition.

On the defensive line, free agent addition Calais Campbell and Zach Sieler have settled in as the starting ends. A battle has developed on the inside, though, between Benito Jones and Teair Tart, per Barry Jackson and Omar Kelly of the Miami Herald. Jones returns to South Beach after two years in Detroit, where he started 15 games last season. Despite earning the starting job last year, Jones graded out horribly, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required), ranking as the league’s 124th best interior defender out of 130 graded at the position.

Tart graded out better in nine starts for the Titans last year. Thanks to an impressive pass rush grade, Tart ranked 85th, per PFF. Both players graded out better as pass rushers than run defenders, so it will be interesting to see how this battle plays out over the remainder of the preseason.

A number of interesting stories have developed at linebacker, as well. First, while Jaelan Phillips and Bradley Chubb continue to work their way back from major injuries, Quinton Bell has reportedly “been a revelation” at camp, per Jackson. After spending the 2023 season on the team’s practice squad, the outside linebacker stands a chance at playing real time while the Dolphins wait for Phillips and Chubb to return.

At inside linebacker, Jackson notes that Miami rosters four veterans at the position, along with Cam Brown who serves as a key special teams contributor. That leaves former third-round pick Channing Tindall on the roster bubble as we near roster cuts. Tindall has appeared in 33 games over his first two years in the league but only played nine defensive snaps in 2022 and 12 in 2023. Much more is expected of a third-round pick, and with the current veteran presence blocking his path to more playing time, Tindall’s chances of remaining on the roster seem slim.

Dolphins Sign LB Alexander Johnson

August 24th, 2023 at 8:30pm CST by Sam Robinson

Coaching ex-Bronco defenders Bradley Chubb and Malik Reed once again, Vic Fangio will reunite with another of his former Denver cogs. Alexander Johnson signed with the Dolphins on Thursday.

Like Chubb and Reed, Johnson, 31, was a regular throughout Fangio’s Denver stay. Fangio’s arrival soon led to a regular role for Johnson, who played alongside Josey Jewell for three seasons in Denver. A 2021 pectoral injury, however, stalled the off-ball linebacker’s momentum.

[RELATED: Dolphins Meet With CB Bryce Callahan]

Coming into the NFL at 26 due to an off-field issue, Johnson played in just one game as a rookie in 2018. Early in the 2019 season, Fangio inserted the Tennessee alum into the starting lineup to spark the Broncos’ run defense. Pro Football Focus graded Johnson as that season’s third-best off-ball ‘backer. In 2020, Johnson totaled a career-high 124 tackles. Between those two years, Johnson forced four fumbles.

Prior to his October 2021 pectoral tear, Johnson received a second-round RFA tender to stay in Denver. However, this injury and having turned 30 just before his first free agency bid effectively scuttled Johnson’s market. The Seahawks signed the former UDFA late last year but only used him in one game. The Dolphins will provide a late-summer opportunity. Teams must finalize their 53-man rosters by 3pm CT on Tuesday; they can begin assembling their practice squads the following day. Clubs can keep up to six vested veterans on their 16-man taxi squad.

The Dolphins signed David Long to play alongside Jerome Baker at linebacker. Duke Riley and Andrew Van Ginkel are likely locked into backup jobs, per the Miami Herald’s Barry Jackson. Channing Tindall, a third-rounder last year, has not enjoyed a quality training camp, per Jackson, though it is unlikely the Dolphins give up on him after two offseasons. Though, Tindall only played nine defensive snaps last year.

In addition to the Johnson signing, the team waived linebacker Mike Rose and waived safety Myles Dorn with an injury designation Thursday.

Eight Georgia Bulldogs Declare For Draft

January 15th, 2022 at 8:27pm CST by Ely Allen

After wrapping of the 2021 football season with a National Championship win over the Crimson Tide, Georgia is ready to send a couple players to the NFL. So far, we’ve seen declarations from running backs Zamir White and James Cook, wide receiver George Pickens, offensive lineman Jamaree Salyer, defensive linemen Travon Walker and Devonte Wyatt, linebacker Nakobe Dean, and safety Lewis Cine.

White was a 5-star recruit out of North Carolina and the consensus top-ranked running back in the 2018 graduating class. White was forced to red-shirt his true freshman season after tearing his ACL, his second such injury in about 9 months. After healing, he took snaps behind D’Andre Swift and Brian Herrien before taking over as the lead back in 2020 rushing for 1,635 yards and 22 touchdowns over the next two seasons. Dane Brugler, of The Athletic, has White ranked as the 7th-best running back in the class and he should expect to hear his name on Day 2 or 3 of the draft.

James Cook, the younger brother of Dalvin Cook, came into Georgia the same year as White but didn’t have to sit out his freshman year. Cook has sat just below White on the depth chart for the three years they were both active, racking up 1,031 rushing yards along with 10 touchdowns in the past two seasons. He is ranked the 5th-best running back on Brugler’s list and should also expect to hear his name in the middle rounds.

Pickens arrived at Georgia as a 5-star recruit after flipping from a commitment to Auburn. He led the team in receiving his freshman year with 727 yards and 8 touchdowns. He improved his yards per game average the next year but missed two games in an already shortened COVID-season. Pickens tore his ACL in March 2021 but returned to contribute to the Bulldogs’ National Championship run catching 2 passes for 61 yards in two playoff games. Brugler has Pickens as the 9th-best receiver in the 2022 NFL Draft. It’s expected that some team will take a flyer on the big-bodied receiver on Day 2 or early into Day 3.

Salyer was a 5-star recruit and the consensus top-ranked guard in the 2018 graduating class. Salyer saw his first start late in his sophomore year before securing his spot as the blindside starting tackle for the next two seasons. He missed a couple games with an injury this year, but he surrendered no sacks in eleven starts this year. Brugler has Salyer as the 7th-best interior offensive lineman and we should expect to hear his name on Day 2 or early into Day 3.

Walker came in as a 5-star recruit from west Georgia and dominated as soon as he arrived. Walker became an instant presence on the line with an elite get-off. After starting at defensive tackle for every game this season, Walker led the defensive line in sacks as an interior lineman with 6.0. Despite his size and placement in the Georgia defense, Brugler has Walker as the 4th-best edge rusher in the draft. Whether or not that’s where NFL teams see the junior Bulldog playing, he’s expected to hear his name called late in the first-round or early in the second.

Wyatt initially attended Hutchinson Community College to help meet the academic requirements needed to play Division I football. After transferring to Georgia, Wyatt rotated on the defensive line for two years before becoming a starter in 2020. Wyatt decided to use the extra year of eligibility, granted due to COVID-19, to come back for the 2021 season and it certainly paid off. Brugler has Wyatt as the 4th-best interior defensive lineman and he’s expected to be selected in the middle rounds of the draft.

Dean was a 5-star recruit and the consensus second-ranked inside linebacker in the 2019 graduating class. The much-ballyhooed linebacker made an immediate impact in his freshman year before nabbing the starting job for his entire sophomore and junior seasons. He culminated his final season not only with a National Championship trophy but also with the 2021 Butkus Award trophy given to the top linebacker in college football. He finished the season second on the team in tackles (behind fellow draft hopeful, Cine) and with the team lead in tackles for loss. Dean is the 2nd-best linebacker on Brugler’s list and is widely expected to go in the first round.

Cine was a Top-100 recruit in the 2019 graduating class. Cine played every game his freshman season before taking over as the starting safety for the next two seasons. Cine led the team in tackles for the season and made a few big plays to help the team clinch their National Championship. Brugler has Cine as the 3rd-best safety in the draft and he’s expected to hear his name called on Day 1 or early in Day 2 of the draft.

These eight aren’t the last Bulldogs expected to declare for the draft, either. Although no announcements have been made, defensive tackle, and winner of the 2021 Outland Trophy and Chuck Bednarik Award, Jordan Davis, linebackers Channing Tindall and Quay Walker, and cornerback Derion Kendrick all are expected to be weighing their options and could set their sights on the NFL.