Injury to Starter Could Allow Dolphins Preseason Standout Time to Shine

The Miami Dolphins might be without another starter this week against the Los Angeles Chargers, but that could lead to more reps for a training camp standout.

Starting inside linebacker Tyrel Dodson is in the concussion protocol after leaving the Dolphins’ loss against the Carolina Panthers early. Dodson was replaced by K.J. Britt in that game, but the Dolphins also have Willie Gay Jr., who was excellent in the preseason, at their disposal.

Fans have been frustrated with Gay’s lack of usage this season. He’s played just 16 snaps total in five weeks and just three against Carolina, while Britt played 19.

Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel indicated why things are set up that way during his press conference Wednesday.

“As you’re formulating your team, and you’re finding the skill sets of individual players, you have position guys that back up positions specifically to their skill set,” McDaniel said. “KJ, his primary role has been backing up T-Dot [Dodson] and competing with him, and with Willie backing up and competing with JB [Jordyn Brooks].”

What McDaniel is saying is that Miami’s linebackers are locked into certain roles, which isn’t uncommon at all. Dodson is the “green dot” player — they call the defensive plays — and is more of a run defender than anything else.

That aligns much better with Britt’s skill set, considering he has historically made his money defending the run. Gay is a much faster, explosive linebacker who does his best work when he can run and chase plays — that aligns well with Brooks’ skill set.

As frustrating as Gay’s snap count has been, this is sound practice from the Dolphins. The team is awful at defending the run, and replacing Dodson with Gay feels like a move that will make things worse.

Don’t Close the Door on Gay Yet

However, there’s also a fair argument that Miami’s run defense has been so bad that it’s time to start trying out-of-the-box solutions.

Well, McDaniel didn’t completely shut down the idea of Gay getting more snaps this week. In fact, it seems like he’s got a real chance to earn some playing time, even if he doesn’t replace Dodson directly.

“When you are preparing for a different math problem now, [Dodson] being out, then you prepare differently,” McDaniel said. “You utilize all the reps that Willie does get at the MIKE. Like any other position, you have people make up for it. Sometimes, it’s one person. Sometimes, it’s two.”

McDaniel went on to add that Britt and Gay’s snap count Sunday will largely be determined by how the practice week goes. While he didn’t use this specific language, it does seem like it’s a real competition between the two.

It should be noted that although Gay mostly played on the edge with the Saints in 2024, he has extensive experience playing off the ball from his time with Kansas City. That was when he was playing his best football, too.

Again, on paper, the idea of asking Gay to step into Dodson’s role isn’t overly appealing. He’s not the right prototype for that role, and probably doesn’t have experience calling Miami’s plays in the huddle.

Britt certainly has the right profile and, since he’s been backing up Dodson since the Summer, likely also has the play-calling experience.

Football isn’t played on paper, though, and Miami’s defense needs a spark. Say what you want about Gay’s skill set, but he’s a high-effort player, and the Dolphins could benefit from him getting more chances, regardless of whether he’s replacing Dodson.

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