Dolphins' 2024 Breakout Player: Jordyn Brooks (NFL)
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Dolphins' 2024 Breakout Player: Jordyn Brooks

Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports
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The Miami Dolphins are offering former first-round linebacker Jordyn Brooks a much-needed fresh start this season. The No. 27 overall selection in the 2020 NFL Draft, Brooks was a tackling machine for the Seattle Seahawks across 2021 and 2022, recording 345 combined takedowns.

A torn ACL injury suffered during Week 17 of the 2022 season derailed portions of his 2023 campaign. Brooks regressed this past season, and new Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald didn't show interest in retaining his services.

Now healthy and fully recovered, the Dolphins identified Brooks as a solution, signing him to a three-year, $26.25 million contract with conviction just moments after free agency’s legal tampering window opened. It represents a big opportunity for Brooks to recapture his previous form.

Dolphins general manager Chris Grier went into the offseason searching for better depth at off-ball linebacker. The Dolphins released Jerome Baker from his contract, who coincidentally, will help replace Brooks in Seattle. Grier also signed Anthony Walker Jr. at the position, who will jockey with Brooks for reps opposite David Long Jr.

Brooks' contract with the Dolphins is worth roughly $8.75 million per year. Walker Jr.'s deal is significantly more team-friendly at just one year, $1.3 million with less than $1 million in guarantees, according to Over The Cap. The financial commitment indicates the Dolphins view Brooks as an every-down defender.

The Dolphins don’t have much depth at the position. Duke Riley is a career backup and special teamer at this point, and Channing Tindall has come nowhere near meeting the expectations of his 2022 third-round draft slot. Brooks should comfortably fend off the competition.

Brooks should be extremely excited about working with new defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver. Weaver joins the Dolphins in that role after serving as the Baltimore Ravens' assistant head coach and defensive line coach last season. He didn't oversee the linebackers or the entire defense specifically, but he had a front-row seat to a defensive scheme that did an outstanding job maximizing its off-ball linebackers.

The Ravens had the dynamic duo of Roquan Smith and Patrick Queen at the position. Smith totaled 158 tackles, five off his career-best mark (163 in 2021), which placed him sixth in the entire league in that category. He also had a personal-high eight pass breakups.

While Smith was already established as a high-level linebacker, Queen particularly elevated his game to new heights. A player that once heard the “bust” whispers, Queen played lights out in a contract year after having his fifth-year option declined by the Ravens. The former LSU standout parlayed a career-best 133 tackles into a three-year, $41 million contract with the Pittsburgh Steelers in free agency.

Brooks is a decisive linebacker with explosive movement ability. He's quick-footed enough to cover ground and defeat pulling offensive linemen to their landmarks. His skill set makes him an intriguing fit for Weaver's defense.

The Dolphins needed to acquire a workhorse to replace Baker on the second level of their defense. Brooks arrives in Miami as a shrewd offseason addition with terrific upside. Brooks should enjoy a breakout campaign in Miami.



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