Figuratively, but also literally. The Dolphins’ edge rushers at this point look to be some combination of Tank Carradine, Charles Harris, rookie Andrew Van Ginkel, Nate Orchard and Jonathan Woodard. And Jerome Baker. T.J. McDonald. Reshad Jones. Minkah Fitzpatrick — and so on. That, according to Dolphins head coach Brian Flores, is all part of the recipe for a DE/OLB situation that ranks among the least accomplished and least valuable in the NFL.
And so Flores’ approach isn’t to force the fit. The reveal that Miami’s defensive backs will aid in the pass rush tells us what we already thought we knew — the defense is going to be centered around physical play on the defensive interior and some exotic blitzes and overloads on passing downs to facilitate pressure. It was never going to be as easy as lining up across from someone and being better than them with a base package of four pass rushers.
Miami has seen some promising reps from Andrew Van Ginkel in the first week of camp. He’s fast, he’s fluid. And he had a knack for making big plays at Wisconsin, too. But his skills at the line of scrimmage suggest he’ll need to play more in space — perhaps he can fill a hybrid role for Miami if he’s quick to pick up the playbook.
The team has also continued to praise Charles Harris — Miami’s 2017 1st-round selection. Getting production from a highly coveted player would be a huge win for this coaching staff, although Harris felt a long way away from being a quality starter at the end of 2018.
But remember — don’t panic when the Dolphins pass rush off the edge is non-existent this preseason. Flores isn’t going to show his hand and give Miami’s 2019 opponents a free look at their blitz packages. We’ll have to wait until Week 1 to see the full product.
