Why Gay Came Back And Why He Shouldn't Be a Forgotten Man on Defense Again

Between the contract situation of Jordyn Brooks, the triple-digit tackle season of Tyrel Dodson and the selections of Jacob Rodriguez and Kyle Louis in the 2026 draft, Willie Gay Jr. has been kind of flying under the radar during this Miami Dolphins offseason.

You know, pretty much like he did the entire 2025 season when he was barely used at linebacker on a mediocre defense despite being one of the top performers of training camp, to the point where several media members were publicly campaigning for him to be awarded the orange jersey as the practice player of the day.

Why he wasn't used more during the regular season — he was in single digits in defensive snaps in 12 of the 17 games and never played more than 13 until December — was of the biggest mysteries of 2025 and he's pretty clear about how he has no desire for a repeat.

GAY'S DECISION TO COME BACK

Gay is back for a second season with the Dolphins after re-signing as an unrestricted free agent the day after the market officially opened, and one would think he would have looked elsewhere without the coaching change from Mike McDaniel to Jeff Hafley, with defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver also now gone.

His position coach, Joe Barry, is back from last season and was involved in the Dolphins looking to bring back the former second-round pick with a message about the opportunity for an expanded role because Hafley figures to be using three off-the-ball linebackers at the same time infinitely more than Weaver, whose scheme had Brooks and Dodson alongside two outside linebackers and three defensive linemen.

“The role thing definitely got me," Gay said last week after a minicamp practice. "Obviously, I loved the guys here before, JB, T-Dot that was here with me last year, Jackson Wood (Woodard), and Coach Joe B was my coach last year, and for him to remain on staff, and he called me free agency, obviously, they played a big role. And the role that I was asked to play, which is the Sam (strongside) linebacker position, which is the role I played in New Orleans and Kansas City. My four years there, I was familiar with it. So, OK, let's do it.”

Gay joined the Dolphins after a forgettable season with the New Orleans Saints in 2024 that he admitted last year saw him less than totally driven at times as the team struggled and his playing time diminished.

WHAT GAY COULD BRING TO THE DEFENSE

But let's not forget that Gay once was a full-time starter, a productive full-time starter, for a Kansas City Chiefs that helped the team win back-to-back Super Bowl titles in the 2022 and 2023 seasons.

Gay never played less than 57 percent of the defensive snaps in his final three seasons with Kansas City before his snap counts fell to 27 and 12 percent the last two years.

Barry explained last year that Gay simply wasn't coached to play the middle linebacker spot occupied by Dodson and Brooks was having an All-Pro season, though Weaver did say midway through the season he wanted to find a way to get Gay on the field.

When Dodson had to miss time with injuries, it was K.J. Britt who stepped in his spot

Through it all, Gay tried to remain patient.

“It wasn’t easy, man," Gay said. "But I got my whys, just hang in there, do what I do, and trust in the Lord. So that's about it, man. That's all I can do.”

Exactly how Hafley will be utilizing his linebackers remains to be seen, particularly when it comes to Rodriguez and Louis, but Gay would seem to have the inside track to be the starting SAM when the Dolphins have three linebackers on the field.

And for Gay that's what it's all about right now, getting on the field so he can show the Dolphins he can be that linebacker who was so effective in Kansas City just three years ago.

When I asked Gay what a successful 2026 season for him would look like, he threw his head back before saying, "You’re putting me on the spot, man. Man, I just want to play football. Honestly, I want to get on the field, though. I'm not gonna lie to you, I know what I can bring to the table, so I want to be on the field for sure.”

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