Flores helped rejuvenate Kyle Van Noy’s career. He can get best out of the OLB in Miami.
The Detroit Lions practically gave Kyle Van Noy away for free in 2016.
Now one of the newest members of the Miami Dolphins, Van Noy was a former second-round pick whohad utterly failed to live up to expectations back then. The New England Patriots were able to land Van Noy ahead of the 2016 trade deadline by sending a sixth-round pick to the Lions and they even got back a seventh-round pack with the linebacker.
Detroit drafted him to be a traditional linebacker and it wasn’t working. The Patriots -- and Brian Flores, who was in his first year as New England’s linebackers coach -- had a different idea.
“He was on-the-line SAM in their 4-3 package,” Patriots coach Bill Belichick said back in 2016, offering up his initial scouting report on the outside linebacker. “He was off the line, inside linebacker in their nickel package.”
In typical Belichick fashion, he didn’t dive into many specifics. What he did offer, however, was insightful. New England always prizes versatility and Van Noy, he figured, would be at his best when a team let him be versatile.
The Patriots eased in Van Noy in the linebacker’s first season in Massachusetts, then made him a full-time starter in his second season in 2017. He started as an outside linebacker throughout each of his final three seasons in Foxboro.
On Monday, he reached a deal to reunite with Flores in Miami. The Dolphins handed him a four-year, $51-million contract to help rejuvenate their front seven, just like Flores helped Van Noy rejuvenate his career back in 2016.
Van Noy had strictly been an outside linebacker for the BYU Cougars and the Lions tried to use him inside. New England brought him back to the basics. In his first full season playing for Flores in 2017, Van Noy recorded 73 tackles and 5 1/2 sacks. When Flores became the de facto defensive coordinator in 2018, Van Noy’s tackle numbers spiked to 92 and he still logged 3 1/2 sacks. In 2019, the Patriots used him even more often as an edge defender, and he logged 56 tackles, 6 1/2 sacks, three passes defended and three forced fumbles. Pro Football Focus ranked him as the No. 16 edge rusher in the NFL and recorded him with just two missed tackles all season. He played close to 90 percent of his snaps this season on the line of scrimmage, which could be important for defensive line-needy Miami.
Flores learned from Belichick in New England — veratility is important and Van Noy is exactly the sort of versatile piece Flores has already proven he prizes now in South Florida.
“I think he brings a great deal of energy to the group,” Flores said back in 2018. “I guess he comes off as a quiet guy at times, but he’s got a lot of energy, he’s got a great spirit about him, people gravitate to him, he’s smart, he’s versatile, he does a good job with the younger players. He’s just a really good teammate. I would say that would be first and foremost. That’s what I’d say about it.”
(The same week, former Dolphins coach Adam Gase, now coach of the New York Jets, said, “He’s been a nightmare for us.”)
Van Noy similarly has praised Flores in the past.
“Coach Flo — he’s an amazing coach,” he said in 2018 after Flores effectively took over the Patriots’ defense. “He’s hungry. He’s talented. He knows how to teach. He does a really good job of getting the most out of you. Whether you like it or not, he gets it out of you. It’s awesome to be around a coach that always wants the best for you. That makes you want to play harder for him.”
Van Noy’s best years came after he was paired up with Flores for the first time and he thrived whenever he was playing within the set of philosophies New England -- and Flores -- emphasizes.
Miami is paying a hefty price to make Van Noy a centerpiece of its front seven. If there’s anyone who can make him worth it, Flores is best suited.
“He’s able to communicate with everybody on the defense, so he’s able to get after guys when needed and he compliments them when needed,” Van Noy said in a 2018 radio interview. “So I think he does a really good job. He brings a different element to the table and we enjoy it, we embrace it and we just want to play hard for him.”
