Van Ginkel Too Valuable to Sit?
The Andrew Van Ginkel experiment might become more than that for the Miami Dolphins.
After they re-signed him as a free agent in the offseason, the Dolphins decided to give him a look at inside linebacker with the idea of beefing up their depth at the position.
Little did anyone expect that it would be Van Ginkel, and not David Long Jr., who would get the bulk of the snaps at inside linebacker alongside Jerome Baker in the victory against the Los Angeles at SoFi Stadium on Sunday.
And defensive coordinator Vic Fangio said Thursday this was merit-based.
Van Ginkel played 51 snaps, while Long played only 17.
"Well, we moved in there, tried him out there, as you guys know, starting in OTAs and training camp and felt that throughout that whole process, he kind of won the job on merit," Fangio said. "So he's been doing a good job in there and we expect him to continue to get better. Doesn't mean that the other guys David and Duke (Riley) can't get in there some also. It was just a job earned over time."
Van Ginkel was credited with five tackles in the 36-34 victory, with the biggest coming on the Chargers' final drive when he teamed up with Jaelan Phillips to stop Austin Ekeler after a 1-yard gain on a running play to help force L.A. to settle for a field goal when they were leading 31-30, setting the stage for the Dolphins' game-winning drive.
WHAT ABOUT LONG?
Van Ginkel got a one-year, $2.6 million deal in the offseason that included a $1.5 million fully guaranteed salary.
Meanwhile, Long was signed to a two-year, $10 million contract that inlcuded $6.5 million in guaranteed, though none of his $4.5 million salary for 2024 is guaranteed.
Long was signed in large part because of his coverage skills, which were expected to make him a better fit for Fangio's scheme than 2022 starter Elandon Roberts, who signed as a free agent with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Long was credited with one tackle against the Chargers and he was on the wrong end of a 36-yard completion from Justin Herbert to wide receiver Keenan Allen down the left sideline, a really tough matchup for any linebacker.
It was a less-than-stellar Dolphins debut for Long, though it doesn't mean he won't become a bigger factor on defense before the season is over.
What has become clear, though, is that Van Ginkel will be in the picture as well.
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