Has starting linebacker changed? Dolphins coach talks Mattison, Wright
Willie Gay Jr.’s exceptional training camp raises a natural question: Could he become one of the team’s starting linebackers?
At the moment, that’s not the plan.
Asked if Tyrel Dodson will be the starter alongside Jordyn Brooks this season, inside linebackers coach Joe Barry said this week: “Yes. T-Dod has gotten all the work with the ones. K.J. Britt has gotten all the work with the twos.
We are all about competition. We don’t have to post a depth chart [for a while]. We’ve got a lot of time, a lot of practice. T-Dod is having an amazing camp. I’m very happy with all four guys.... [And] Channing Tindall is having his best training camp that he’s had as a pro” in his fourth season.
But considering that Gay has made impact plays in every practice (until Tuesday), do Dolphins coaches need to create defensive snaps for him?
“Traditionally, you are starting two inside backers [in a 3-4 defense] and you don’t rotate,” Barry said. “But there’s no rule against it. We did last year with David Long and Anthony Walker. We did it three or four games before Anthony took over. It’s not the norm, but you absolutely can do that in addition to finding different packages and different things that [allow] you to get those guys on the field. It’s a champagne problem to have.
“We have four inside linebackers that have all started in this league and played a lot of football. That’s a good problem.”
Gay is a natural inside linebacker but at 246 pounds also has the ability to play outside linebacker. What’s the best way to maximize his skills?
“I would have answered that a few months ago purely as an inside guy,” Barry said. “But the more you are around a player on the practice field, seeing what he can do, [your thoughts change].
“I never thought of him as that Swiss Army knife, but he can do a lot of different things. He’s obviously physical enough and strong enough to play inside. He’s fast enough and quick enough and athletic enough to play out in space. He’s got some blitz ability. And he’s been great for our room.
“Losing a Duke Riley and Anthony Walker is a lot when you lose guys like that in your room. Willie has been a great addition. He’s got a bounce in his step, great personality and he’s a really, really good player too.”
Running backs coach weighs in
Running backs coach Eric Studesville said new addition Alexander Mattison has “been really, really good. He’s picked it up fast.”
Mattison has good career metrics in short-yardage situations, but he also has displayed speed and elusiveness during the first 11 practices of training camp. He has had at least a dozen runs that have gone 10-plus yards.
“He’s shown quick feet,” Studesville said. “He’s made some double-digit runs. Sometimes people get labeled and put in a certain hole. Sometimes you’ve got to give them a clean slate to show what they can do. Give them a chance to determine what their role is. Don’t say, ‘Hey, he can only do this and that’s why we got him in here.’ Well, maybe he can do some other things. I think Alexander has shown that.”
▪ Studesville said of second-year running back Jaylen Wright: “He’s head and shoulders above where he was this time last year. He worked his tail off at it last year. [In year two], everything is familiar to him. There’s nothing new that he’s experiencing now and so he’s able to relax a little bit.
“He knows he has confidence that he knows our plays, our system, our language, our assignments. Now he’s got to go execute without some of the pre-snap things kind of weighing on him.”
This story was originally published August 5, 2025 at 3:42 PM.
