Dolphins Position Outlook: Linebackers

Jordyn Brooks joins David Long Jr. with the Dolphins hoping the duo can make a big impact for the defense

Miami Dolphins linebacker David Long Jr. reacts against the Dallas Cowboys during the third quarter at Hard Rock Stadium in 2023. / Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports

Despite making the playoffs for a second straight season under coach Mike McDaniel in 2024, the Miami Dolphins are still looking for their first playoff win since 2000. The quest for that victory starts with training camp.

The Dolphins had a surprisingly eventful offseason for a team that started with so little cap space. The team lost homegrown talents like Christian Wilkins and Robert Hunt but added exciting veterans like Odell Beckham Jr., Kendall Fuller, and Jordyn Brooks.

This series will break down each position on the Dolphins’ roster, providing fans with an in-depth look at each player’s outlook for the coming 2024 season.

This article will cover the linebackers.

DOLPHINS LINEBACKER OUTLOOKS

David Long Jr.

2023 Stats: 113 tackles, 9 tackles for loss, 6 quarterback hits, 1 pass defended

2024 Outlook: Long enters his second season as one of the Dolphins’ starting inside linebackers. Long’s first season was slightly inconsistent, but he was primarily a positive force, especially toward the end of the season.

Long’s best plays came against the run. He’s a quality gap shooter and intelligent player who will keep the Dolphins’ run defense sound in the middle. Long’s work in coverage needs to improve this coming season, though.

Jordyn Brooks

2023 Stats: (Seahawks): 111 tackles, 8 tackles for loss, 5 quarterback hits, 4 passes defended, 1 INT

2024 Outlook: Brooks is one of Miami’s biggest signings from this offseason. The former Seahawks linebacker was brought in to replace Jerome Baker, who the team cut this offseason.

Baker was an uber productive and consistent player for the Dolphins, leaving Brooks with big shoes to fill. Brooks has the athletic profile to be a Pro Bowl-caliber linebacker, but he’s struggled with injuries and inconsistent play.

Brooks and Long give the Dolphins two starting linebackers known for their speed and intensity.

Anthony Walker Jr.

2023 Stats (Browns): 44 tackles, 1 tackle for loss, 2 quarterback hits, 4 passes defensed

2024 Outlook: Walker is another free agent acquisition for the Dolphins defense. He played 64% of the Browns’ defensive snaps last season but is likely to have a more reduced role with the Dolphins.

Walker also played 117 special teams snaps last season, which could earn him more consistent playing time than sitting behind Brooks and Long.

Channing Tindall

2023 Stats: 8 tackles

2024 Outlook: Tindall barely saw the field last season and is heading into Year 3 with almost zero total playing time.

When the Dolphins selected him in the third round of the 2022 NFL draft, many considered him to be a long-term project. Like Brooks and Long, Tindall is an excellent athlete but hasn’t put the mental side of playing linebacker together yet.

Tindall could work his way into the lineup through injury, but he’s likely to see most of his reps on special teams this season.

Duke Riley

2023 Stats: 42  tackles, 2 quarterback hits, 1 pass defensed, 1 forced fumble

2024 Outlook: Riley deserves some credit for making five starts when Baker was injured. He’s a solid backup linebacker who plays best on special teams. There’s nothing wrong with that, and the Dolphins have positioned him to be in the same role again in 2024.

Cam Brown

2023 Stats (Giants): 8 tackles, 1 forced fumble

2024 Outlook: The Dolphins signed Brown this offseason to bolster their special teams unit. Brown was a phenomenal contributor to the Giants’ special teams units for the past four seasons, playing at least 300 special teams snaps in three of those seasons.

If Brown plays defense for an extended period in 2024, something has gone wrong.

DOLPHINS LINEBACKER SUPERLATIVES

Best Run Defender: David Long Jr.

Best Pass Defender: Anthony Walker

Best Blitzer: Jordyn Brooks

Most Athletic: Jordyn Brooks

Highest Football IQ: David Long Jr.

MOST IMPORTANT QUESTION FOR DOLPHINS LINEBACKERS

Can The Dolphins Linebackers Cover?

Judging a linebacker’s coverage prowess is difficult. Counting stats like catches and yards allowed is unreliable because linebackers — by nature — are not coverage players. They tend to give up catches and yards just by playing in the middle of the field.

With that said, the Dolphins are expected to roll out Brooks and Long as their starting linebackers. While those players have the skills to be solid coverage options, they’ve been mostly inconsistent in that area so far.

The idea behind pairing Long, an excellent run defender, with someone like Baker, a solid enough pass defender, last season made a lot of sense. Brooks and Long don’t share the same dichotomy.

Both are better run defenders than pass defenders. However, there are reasons to be optimistic about both improving this season.

For starters, Brooks’ film in coverage is much better than his stats and PFF grades suggest. His speed and quickness allow him to prevent big gains when he gives up receptions, and there’s clearly a high ceiling to how he sees the game.

On Long’s side, he had two solid seasons in coverage with the Titans in 2022 and 2021. His performance from last season was mainly an outlier compared to what he put on film before that.

The last reason for optimism is that new Dolphins defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver spent time with arguably the NFL’s best linebacking corps last season. Weaver didn’t coach Roquan Smith and Patrick Queen’s position group, but it’s hard to imagine he didn’t pick up takeaways from how they played last year. 

Regardless of how it happens, the Dolphins will need more from their linebackers in coverage this season. The team’s impressive pass rush from last season won’t be the same, especially early in the year.

Plus, the Dolphins’ secondary is filled with impact players who teams would rather avoid if possible. Miami’s linebackers will have a target on their backs when teams create their game plan every week.

Why throw at Jalen Ramsey when you can throw at Brooks or Long?

To put this into perspective, this is a common problem. Teams across the league are trying to balance putting good coverage linebackers on the field with ensuring they’re not a liability against the run, which is a linebacker’s primary concern.

Brooks and Long at least have the skills to do both. Miami is taking a worthwhile swing to find consistency at a critical spot for this coming season.