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Dolphins Bring More Depth to Linebacker Room

The Miami Dolphins are adding a two-time Super Bowl champion to their defense

Dante Collinelli

Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Willie Gay (50) celebrates during the second half of a 2024 AFC wild card game against the Miami Dolphins at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium.
Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Willie Gay (50) celebrates during the second half of a 2024 AFC wild card game against the Miami Dolphins at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. / Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images
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The Miami Dolphins are making another addition to their linebacker room.

The Dolphins agreed to a one-year contract with linebacker Willie Gay Jr. on Wednesday, according to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler. Gay spent last season with the New Orleans Saints after playing in Kansas City for the first four years of his pro career.

Gay appeared in 15 games and made eight starts for the Saints last season. He recorded 28 total tackles, two sacks, three pass breakups, one forced fumble, and two tackles for loss. Those numbers were a step back for Gay, who played the fewest defensive snaps in his career (277) since his rookie season.

His best season came in 2022 when he started all 13 games he played for the Chiefs. He had 51 total tackles, 2.5 sacks, eight pass breakups, one interception, and nine tackles for loss.

Spending so much time with the Chiefs has also given Gay a lot of postseason experience. He’s already won two Super Bowls and played in nine postseason games, including the Dolphins’ wild-card loss against the Chiefs in the 2023 season.

He wasn’t just along for the ride, either. Gay played on 88 and 52 percent of the Chiefs’ defensive snaps in Kansas City’s back-to-back Super Bowl wins.

DOLPHINS KEEP BUILDING LINEBACKER ROOM

Gay joins a Dolphins linebacker room that has been retooled this offseason. Budding star Jordyn Brooks anchors the unit, and the team re-signed Tyrel Dodson to a two-year, $8.25 million contract.

The Dolphins also signed K.J. Britt to a one-year contract following his tenure with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Gay doesn’t profile as a potential starter this coming season, so he’s likely to compete with Britt to be the team’s primary backup. Whether he wins that role, Gay likely will need to make some kind of impact on special teams to make the Dolphins’ final roster.

Gay played 86 special teams snaps last season, but that was the most since his rookie season when he recorded 241 special teams snaps.

If special teams is where the Dolphins envision Gay getting the most work, he’ll also have to compete with Channing Tindall, who finished second on the team in special teams tackles last season.

DOLPHINS 2025 FREE AGENT SCORECARD
as of Wednesday, 5 p.m.

Agreed to terms (12)

QB Zach Wilson (Denver)

G James Daniels (Pittsburgh)

OL Larry Borom (Chicago)

S Ifeatu Melifonwu (Detroit)

WR Nick Westbrook-Ikhine (Tennessee)

S Ashtyn Davis (N.Y. Jets)

LB K.J. Britt (Tampa Bay)

RB Alexander Mattison (Las Vegas)

TE Pharaoh Brown (Seattle)

P Ryan Stonehouse (Tennessee)

CB Artie Burns (Seattle)

LB Willie Gay Jr. (New Orleans)

Re-signed (7)

DT Matt Dickerson

S Elijah Campbell

OLB Quinton Bell

LB Tyrel Dodson

G/T Jackson Carman

WR Dee Eskridge

OL Liam Eichenberg

Lost to another team (7)

WR Braxton Berrios (Houston)

G Robert Jones (Dallas)

S Jevon Holland (N.Y. Giants)

TE Jack Stoll (New Orleans)

LB Anthony Walker Jr. (Tampa Bay)

DT Da'Shawn Hand (L.A. Chargers)

CB Siran Neal (San Francisco)

Remaining UFAs (15)

QB Tyler Huntley

RB Jeff Wilson Jr.

WR River Cracraft

WR Anthony Schwartz

WR Grant DuBose

T Kendall Lamm

G Isaiah Wynn

DT Calais Campbell

DT Benito Jones

EDGE Emmanuel Ogbah

EDGE Tyus Bowser

EDGE Cam Brown

LB Duke Riley

S Jordan Poyer

LS Jake McQuaide

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Dante Collinelli
DANTE COLLINELLI

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