Dolphins position review: Miami set to return inside linebacker duo?

The Dolphins got effective play from their inside linebacker duo in the 2023 season. But as Miami looks to take another step and be competitive with the AFC’s elite, could the team look for an upgrade at the position this offseason?

In the seventh of a series of position reviews, the Miami Herald examines the team’s inside linebacker situation. Next up is outside linebacker.

2023 in review

In the 2023 offseason, the Dolphins signed David Long Jr. to an inexpensive deal, pairing him with Jerome Baker to form one of the fastest inside linebacker tandems in the NFL. Long got off to a bit of a slow start in former defensive coordinator Vic Fangio’s scheme but once he got comfortable, he was one of the best run defenders in the league. Baker continued to fill his role as the team’s play caller on the field but injuries sidelined him for five games, including the season-ending loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in the wild-card round.

Depth chart

Jerome Baker

▪ Skinny: For the first time in his career, Baker missed extended time due to injury. An MCL sprain sidelined him for four games late in the season and then he dislocated a bone in his wrist in the regular-season finale, which kept him out of playoffs. Baker appeared in 13 games, recording 78 tackles and 1.5 sacks.

▪ Contract: Baker, who turns 28 in December, is entering the final year of a three-year extension he signed in 2021. He has a cap hit of $14,794,111, the eighth largest on the team, but none of his $10,768,000 base salary is guaranteed.

David Long Jr.

▪ Skinny: It took some time for Long to get adjusted to a new scheme, but he graded out as one of the league’s best run defenders. Long, who arrived in Miami with durability questions, played in every game for the first time in his career and recorded a career-high 113 tackles.

▪ Contract: Long, who turns 28 in October, is entering the final year of a two-year deal he signed in 2023. He has a cap hit of $6,710,000.

Duke Riley

▪ Skinny: Riley appeared in every game and started six because of Baker’s injury. Riley recorded 42 tackles and a half sack.

▪ Contract: Riley, who turns 30 in August, is entering the final year of a two-year deal he signed in 2023. He has a cap hit of $3,085,000 but none of his $2,250,000 is guaranteed.

Channing Tindall

▪ Skinny: Tindall appeared in every game but played almost exclusively on special teams. He had 12 defensive snaps and finished the season with eight tackles.

▪ Contract: Tindall, who turns 24 in March, is entering the third year of his four-year rookie contract. He has a cap hit of $1,375,883 but none of his $1,163,628 base salary is guaranteed.

Calvin Munson

▪ Skinny: The Dolphins signed Munson off the New England Patriots practice squad in December for his fourth stint with the team. Munson appeared in five games in Miami, mainly on special teams, and recorded one tackle.

Contract: Munson, who turns 30 in December, is an unrestricted free agent.

Offseason questions

1. How does Miami handle Baker’s contract?

Since the Dolphins selected Baker in the third round of the 2018 Draft, he has been a consistent presence in the middle of the defense. But he has no more guaranteed money remaining on his three-year extension, which has prompted some questions about his future in Miami, especially with the Dolphins projected to be $50 million over the cap.

Miami would save $9 million by cutting Baker but that would just create another hole the team needs to fill in the offseason. A more reasonable solution is for the sides to agree on a restructured deal that lowers his cap hit in 2024 and allows Baker to receive some new guaranteed money.

2. Can the new defensive staff elevate the inside linebackers?

Miami’s inside linebackers played well in 2023 but struggled in some areas — and maybe weren’t used to their potential in others.

Pass coverage was specifically a facet of the game in which opponents took advantage of the inside linebackers. Part of this is due to the high rates of zone coverages that the Dolphins played under Fangio, but new defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver and his staff have to work on limiting offenses’ effectiveness over the middle of the field.

The new staff could also tap into one of Baker’s greatest skills — blitzing — more in 2024. In 2023, Baker had just 54 pass rush snaps. Baker missed five games because of injury but it was still his fewest pass rush snaps since his rookie season. Baker has been at his best when coaches lean into his speed, allowing him to blitz and even playing him as an edge defender in stints. Weaver comes from a Baltimore Ravens defense whose defining trait was its multiplicity. Baker could be primed for a bigger role if that carries over to the Dolphins’ defense.

3. Is time running out for Tindall?

In his first two seasons, Tindall has carved out a role as a core special teams player but has yet to make an impact on defense, playing just 21 snaps. Last year, general manager Chris Grier said he anticipated Tindall’s rookie season would be a developmental year for him but as he enters his third season, Miami still doesn’t know what it has in the No. 102 overall pick from the 2022 Draft.

Tindall acknowledged that it took some time for him to grasp the playbook as a rookie and it doesn’t help that he’ll be learning his third defensive scheme in as many years. But the Dolphins need young players to step up as they face the fallout of rising cap numbers for their star players. Tindall is among those who need to take on larger roles soon.

Potential additions

As mentioned before, the Dolphins likely aren’t in the inside linebacker market unless they part ways with Baker. And though Baker is the seventh-highest-paid player in the NFL at his position by average annual value, according to Over the Cap, finding a replacement with similar or greater production won’t come cheap.

It’s more likely the Dolphins add players with special teams value as depth, such as the Packers’ Kristian Welch or Eric Wilson. Both primarily played in special teams roles under Joe Barry, the former Green Bay defensive coordinator who is now the Dolphins’ inside linebackers coach and run game coordinator.