Miami Dolphins linebacker, and former cranberry farmer, Vince Biegel will miss the entire 2020 season after tearing his Achilles tendon yesterday in Miami’s second day of padded practices.
“It was unfortunate, him getting injured. It’s a significant injury. It’s a tough loss to us,” head coach Brian Flores said. “As I’ve said to the team, Vince embodies a lot of things we look for in a Dolphin. He’s tough. He’s smart. Football is important to him. He’s a team-first guy. It’s a tough loss.”
Biegel Carted Off, Huge Blow to Dolphins Defense
ESPN Dolphins reporter Cameron Wolfe broke the news of Biegel being carted off the field, after being unable to put any weight on the leg.
Expectations were high for Biegel as he was expected to compete and win a starting LB job and play a key defensive role for the season. He was arguably Miami’s best pass-rusher in 2019 after coming over in a trade with the New Orleans Saints that saw long-time LB Kiko Alonso shipped in the exchange.
Biegel Transitioned From Special Teamer to Stud Quickly
Biegel transitioned quickly from a special teams player to one of Miami’s brightest spots. He led the Dolphins with 13 quarterback hits and finished third with 2.5 sacks in 15 games (10 starts).
Safety Eric Rowe spoke to reporters today about what Biegel brought to the table in just his second season with the team.
“He brings energy. Every day, consistent. Even last year when we traded for him, he brought energy every day,” Rowe said. “He can be gassed out, but he’ll still go 110-percent on the field and that’s what we need. Everybody sees it and we all know how hard he works and it kind of is a trickle-down effect, so him in (his) second year on the team, it’s the same as last year. He’s consistent, bringing the energy all day.”
Parker Focusing On Health, Not Yards
Another health-related storyline from the second day of padded practices involved No. 1 wide receiver DeVante Parker. No, he’s not injured again (thankfully), but instead has one goal for 2020: playing a full 16 games.
“Staying healthy (and) playing 16 games, that’s it,” Parker said when asked about his season goals and if he’s eyeing another 1,000-yard season.
Parker’s biggest career issue has nothing to do with his play but rather his health. Since entering the league in 2015, Parker has only been able to complete one full 16-game season, it coming last season, the same season he turned his first 1,000-yard receiving season.
Parker, CB Byron Jones Working Off Each Other
Entering camp this year Parker looks strong and is ready to pick up from his 2019 campaign. He showed out today as he grabbed a deep passes from QB Ryan Fitzpatrick while new cornerback Byron Jones was covering him.
Parker told reporters how going up against Jones every day will make both players better. “Byron is a good player. We just feed off of each other and we’re here to get each other better, that’s the biggest thing,” Parker said. “He plays a different technique and sometimes you have to adjust to that, because I never have gone against him like that. We’re going to be making each other better.”
Rookie CB Noah Igbinoghene
With the news of Biegel going down, all eyes seemed to shift to rookie CB Noah Igbinoghene. Why? He’s a versatile player who Flores said he’d be interested in playing at safety, but also because he has the talent to play almost any defensive position. Now, Igbinoghene could get a chance to prove the high praise if he’s called on to replace Biegel.
Igbinoghene is slowly making some strides in only two days of camp. On Tuesday, Igbinoghene showed flashes of his potential as he had two pass breakups and was highly involved in the offense.
“He has a lot of potential. He’s explosive, strong, quick and obviously he works hard as hell. He doesn’t care that he’s first round or whatever round he went; I can tell, you can see in his eye that he wants to great from the start,” Rowe said. “So what I’ve seen from him in camp … he still makes rookie mistakes like everybody does; but I can tell his learning progression, he’s going to be a good guy in the league.”
Kayla Morton contributed to this article.
– Carl Mahler is a Sports Contributor for Full Press Coverage Miami Dolphins. Like and follow on Follow @C3Mahler Follow @FPC_Dolphins and Facebook.
– Kayla Morton is the Managing Editor for Full Press Coverage Miami Dolphins. Like and follow on Follow @northdakayla74 Follow @FPC_Dolphins and Facebook.
