With release of veteran linebacker, Dolphins’ Elandon Roberts is set to return to starting role on defense
Of all the Miami Dolphins’ moves leading up to the deadline to trim their roster to 53 players, maybe no move was more surprising than the decision to release veteran linebacker Benardrick McKinney.
Though the $4 million pay cut he took in July was a possible tell of the future, the 28-year-old acquired from the Houston Texans in an offseason trade was the most accomplished player among the inside linebackers who spent time with the team during training camp. McKinney, a Pro Bowler in 2018, had started 77 games in six seasons and was widely viewed as the favorite to start next to Jerome Baker in the Dolphins’ base defensive packages.
With McKinney’s release, the Dolphins will head into the 2021 season with a familiar cast of inside linebackers.
“It was a tough decision,” coach Brian Flores said Tuesday. “It really was and one that kind of we went back and forth on; but at the end of the day like everything else, we want to always do what we feel is best for the team. Tough decisions are part of that and this was one of them for sure, but nothing but good things to say about Benardrick and I have a lot of appreciation for his hard work this past month and really in the spring as well.”
Four inside linebackers made the initial 53-man roster; Baker, Elandon Roberts, Sam Eguavoen and Duke Riley. Of the quartet, only Riley, a free-agent signing in the offseason, is a new addition this season. The Dolphins also signed Shaquem Griffin, who was a part of the mass roster cuts, to the practice squad, giving the team another experienced veteran who could play special teams if elevated to the game-day roster.
Possibly no development this summer played more of a role in McKinney’s departure than the return of Roberts, who started 11 games last season but suffered a severe knee injury in Week 16 against the Las Vegas Raiders. Roberts, a five-year veteran, started training camp on the physically-unable-to-perform list but returned to practice on August 19.
The team ramped Roberts back into action slowly but it wasn’t long until he was lining up with the first team. He didn’t play in any preseason games but the Dolphins have been encouraged with his progress and he’s trending toward being available for the team’s season opener against the New England Patriots on Sept. 12.
When asked if McKinney and Roberts having similar roles — both are regarded as stout run defenders — played a role in the roster cutdown decision, Flores said, “I would say that’s one variable. But there’s so many variables when we’re talking about these types of decisions — position, salary cap, kicking game. There’s a lot of variables there; but at the end of the day, we’re always going to do what we feel is best for the team.
“We feel good about where [Roberts] is,” Flores added. “That factored into some decisions; but yeah, we feel good with where he is and he’s moving in the right direction.”
In a defense such as the Dolphins, an adequate running mate for Baker is vital. In 2020, the Dolphins were in their base defensive package on 27% of plays; only 10 teams were in such packages more often. Roberts’ physicality around the line of scrimmage complements Baker, who was in pass coverage for nearly 50% of his snaps last season.
“It’s E-Rob,” said Eguavoen, who also spent time next to Baker with the first team during training camp. “He’s looking good out there, being a leader, taking control and doing things that he always does.”
Though Roberts didn’t acknowledge the release of McKinney being related to him, it ultimately was a sign of their support and trust in him after a tough rehab process.
“It’s been a long one. I talk about the Dark Grind all the time,” Roberts said. “That’s my own little thing. There’s no light at the end of the tunnel. You just got to keep digging, keep digging like that and then keep digging. It’s still going to be day-to-day. You start to see the light at the end of the tunnel, you start to get complacent. And if you get complacent in this league, you got that one behind you still grinding, still digging.”
