The Miami Dolphins made a fairly surprising move on Tuesday when the team announced the pending release of veteran linebacker Kyle Van Noy. Miami signed Van Noy to a four-year, $51 million contract last offseason, and he was decently productive for the Dolphins, totaling 69 tackles and six sacks (just 0.5 sacks shy of his career-high). He also registered six passes defensed, the best mark of his career.
At just 29, Van Noy is arguably still in his prime, but it seems the Dolphins made the move for financial reasons. Could Jacksonville benefit from their decision to shed off some cash?
The Jaguars had one of the league’s worst defenses in 2020, and the play at linebacker aside from Myles Jack and maybe Joe Giles-Harris wasn’t good. They tried to address this last offseason with the signing of veteran middle linebacker Joe Schobert, and though he was solid with 141 tackles, 2.5 sacks and three interceptions, he didn’t transform the defense the way the team hoped.
On the other side of Schobert was Leon Jacobs, who missed most of last season with a torn ACL. Jacobs, Jacksonville’s seventh-round pick in 2018, has developed into a dependable rotational player, but adding a versatile veteran (who plays inside and outside linebacker) could be something that interests new defensive coordinator Joe Cullen, especially in terms of the pass-rush.
To do so would potentially require a deal with a similar salary to the one Van Noy was paid in Miami, though perhaps after being released one season into a four-year deal (that only guaranteed $15 million), he’d be looking for a shorter contract this time around.
Van Noy was a captain in his lone season in Miami, so his veteran leadership would greatly benefit a defense that helped make the Jags the youngest team in football last season. Paired with Jack, the Jaguars would have a much more versatile group than it had in 2020.
What do you think, Jags fans? Should Jacksonville target Van Noy? Let us know in the poll down below.
