Dolphins Player Profile: LB Sam Eguavoen

Miami Dolphins linebacker Sam Eguavoen showed flashes last season after coming over from the CFL, but what does his future hold?

Steve Mitchell-USA Today Sports

As we continue through this offseason without minicamps, we'll be breaking down the players on the roster, review their 2019 performance and see how they fit for 2020.

We continue this series with linebacker Sam Eguavoen.

How he got to Miami

Eguavoen signed with the Dolphins as a free agent in January 2019 after he spent three seasons with the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the Canadian Football League. Eguavoen went to the CFL after going undrafted out of Texas Tech. 

Contract status

Eguavoen is in the second year of the three-year, $2.02 million contract he signed when he joined the Dolphins.

2019 season

After being one of the top performers in training camp, Eguavoen earned a starting job at linebacker at the beginning of the season and ended up starting six games in his first NFL season. Eguavoen finished the season with 42 tackles, including a season-high eight in the Week 3 loss at Dallas. Eguavoen had 3.5 sacks, including one he shared with rookie Jonathan Ledbetter against Lamar Jackson in the opener against Baltimore. Eguavoen also had sacks against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Philadelphia Eagles and New York Giants. In coverage, Eguavoen was targeted 10 times with opponents completing 7 of those passes for 61 yards and a passer rating of 85.8. Eguavoen also saw considerable action on special teams, with his 266 snaps ranking sixth on the team.

sam eguavoen with a big sack on third down. pic.twitter.com/qsOZcm9S7U

— josh houtz (@houtz) December 1, 2019

2020 outlook

Eguavoen showed flashes in his first season with the Dolphins, but the reality is that there were opportunities for all players in 2019 that simply won't be there anymore because the roster has been upgraded so much. That could apply to someone like Eguavoen, who does have physical ability but is undersized for the linebacker position, particularly when the Dolphins line up in a 3-4 formation. Eguavoen's quest to make the 53-man roster no doubt will be helped by the fact he can contribute on special teams, but it's certainly not a given that he'll be on the team in 2020.

When he's not in virtual team meetings this offseason, Eguavoen has been training in Texas at the Bullitt Experience.

It's a multi-sport training complex run by the Bullitt family, including former Colts defensive back Melvin Bullitt and Eguavoen's former Texas Tech teammate Terrence Bullitt (who like Eguavoen played in the CFL).