The Miami Dolphins have wrapped up their offseason training program, as rookie minicamp, organized team activities and mandatory minicamp are all in the rearview.
Now, there are a few weeks of downtime before Mike McDaniel’s squad meets again for training camp and joint practices starting in late July.
Until then, the NFL world doesn’t sleep. There will be plenty of transactions to keep everyone busy and entertained, and as always, there are discussions regarding where players rank among their peers.
Pro Football Focus has been ranking each position, and Trevor Sikkema was responsible for handling the linebackers. The Dolphins had two linebackers make the top – David Long Jr. (No. 14) and Jerome Baker (No. 28).
Here’s what Sikkema wrote about Long and Baker:
“Long took a big leap forward. He finished the 2022 season with a career-high 76.1 overall grade to go with an 89.0 run-defense grade. His numbers were up across the board in almost every category.
Baker (74.9) is coming off the highest-graded seasons of his career. That came from a near-elite 87.9 pass-rush grade.”
Long was listed in the third-tier, along with T.J. Edwards, Nick Bolton, Eric Kendricks and Frankie Luvu. Baker was a seventh-tier linebacker with Alex Singleton, Malcolm Rodriguez, Cole Holcomb and Leighton Vander Esch.
This is Long’s first season in Miami, as he’s stepping in for Elandon Roberts, who departed in free agency. His versatility should make him a legitimate weapon for defensive coordinator Vic Fangio.
Baker, heading into his sixth season in South Florida, will need to put up another stellar campaign if he wants to stick around on the same contract through 2024, as the Dolphins could save over $11 million by releasing him after June 1 next year, according to Over the Cap.
