Meet the new Miami Dolphins: Brian Flores’ plan at linebacker comes into focus
The Dolphins formally signed two veteran linebackers Monday: Brennan Scarlett and Duke Riley.
Both are versatile. Both are athletic. Both have shown flashes of really good football.
And most importantly, both are affordable.
Scarlett — who joins Miami after spending his first five seasons with the Houston Texans — signed a one-year, $1.1 million deal with the Dolphins.
Riley — a fifth-year veteran who was last with the Eagles — agreed to a similar deal.
Their market values suggest both are depth additions, and the Pro Football Focus grades (both in the mid-50s last year) suggest the same.
Neither has a ton of guaranteed money in their deals, so both will have to perform well in training camp and the preseason to ensure a spot on the Dolphins’ 53.
But considering the team’s lack of depth, particularly at outside linebacker, they have a good head start.
Scarlett is a more of a natural edge defender, while Riley is best in coverage (he’s surrendered just two touchdowns in 56 career targets). But during conversations with both Monday, it would be a mistake to typecast either.
Here’s a sampling of what each had to say during their introduction to South Florida media Monday.
Brennan Scarlett
▪ Scarlett acknowledged his first time through free agency was a bit stressful, but was drawn to the Dolphins because they are “a great, historic franchise.”
He added: “The Miami Dolphins organization has a great history, a history of winning, a historic organization that’s been around for a lot of years. It’s one that I’ve always respected growing up and always looked to. I’m really excited to be a part of that story, looking forward to the 2021 season and everything that that could possibly be. I’m excited to be a part of it and get out there and compete, win some football games and have some fun. I think for me, that’s really what I’m excited about being here.”
▪ While he’s projected to be part of an outside linebacker rotation that includes Andrew Van Ginkel and Vince Biegel, Scarlett suggested that’s not etched in stone.
“We didn’t get into particulars about the role,” he said. “Just knowing that whatever it was going to be, it’s a role that’s going to have to be earned, which I respect and I look forward to.”
▪ Scarlett has shared a linebackers room with Benardrick McKinney his entire pro career, and that will continue in Miami.
“The biggest thing about B-Mac is that he loves the game of football,” Scarlett said. “He’s passionate to be out there on the field and I think that’s one of the most important pieces to playing with somebody is somebody who wants to be out there and loves to be out there. That’s really what I’m looking forward to. I would say that I share those same values. I look forward to competing every day and at the end of the day, I look forward to winning football games because that’s really what we’re out here to do. I would say that’s what they got here in the two of us is two guys that love to compete and love to play the game of football.”
McKinney is expected to fill the Kyle Van Noy role in the Dolphins’ defense.
▪ One fun subplot from his decision to sign with the Dolphins: Scarlett will be reunited with Austin Clark, his college teammate at Cal. Clark is now the Dolphins’ defensive line coach after working with the outside linebackers in 2020.
“You talk about a player with some grit — A.C. had some grit,” he said. “Just again, another guy that loves to play the game. I could tell back then how passionate he was about the ins and outs of the game, the fundamentals and the intangible things that it takes to be a great football player. ‘AC’ had all of those things. I’m not surprised he’s sitting in the seat that he’s sitting in now.”
Duke Riley
▪ No need to worry about Riley getting amped up for games. He seemed eager to play Monday, even though the season is another six months off.
When asked to describe himself as a player, Riley replied: “Just positive energy. That’s the only thing I can say. I’m going to bring energy and just be consistent. Other than that, I could sit here and say I’m going to do this and I’m going to do that, but the film and the eye in the sky will never lie.”
▪ Riley has always been a good special teams player. But in 2020, he showed ability on defense, too, logging a career-high 569 snaps on D.
“I knew that I would have to make an impact on special teams to be noticed,” he said. I wanted to play defense and a lot of people I guess, sometimes they get in moods when they’re not on defense and they think special teams is not part of – I don’t know how people look at it, but I look at it like it’s everything. I look at any time I’m on the field that any opportunity I’ve got is everything.
▪ How did the Eagles use him?
“In many different ways. Third-down situations, first-down situations; I’m an every-down guy. I pretty much can play in any situation, but there were a lot of situations that the Eagles used me and then I became an every-down guy for them. At first, I was just a third-down and situational guy, and then I started making plays in those situations and they wanted to see more and then I became an every-down guy.”
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The Dolphins have also added former UTEP quarterback Kai Locksley, who threw 9 touchdown and 14 interceptions in college. He’s hoping for a second act as a receiver in the NFL.
But he comes with some significant red flags, however. In June of 2019, police charged Locksley with a number of offenses, including gun charges and making terroristic threats.
According to CBSSports.com, Locksley allegedly shouted at a group of people that he “had a handgun with a full magazine and would empty it on the individuals.”
UTEP briefly suspended Locksley before reinstating him; he appeared in 11 games as a senior. Court records suggest the most serious charges are either inactive or have been since dismissed.
▪ The Dolphins are bringing veteran defensive tackle Lawrence Guy in for a free agent visit, ESPN reported Monday. Guy, 31, has played for four teams in his career, including the past four seasons with the Patriots. Flores was his defensive coordinator in 2018.
This story was originally published March 22, 2021 at 1:33 PM.
