LB Van Ginkel to stay with Dolphins after visiting Pats
After exploring other opportunities, linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel agreed to terms on a oneyear with the Dolphins, a source said Tuesday.
Van Ginkel visited the New England Patriots last week and also spoke with the Las Vegas Raiders, Minnesota Vikings and Pittsburgh Steelers.
Dolphins defensive coordinator Vic Fangio recently reached out to Van Ginkel and told him that the team would like him back, a source said.
His return solidifies the outside linebacker position, which is already one of the team’s strengths.
That group features two-time Pro Bowler Bradley Chubb, rising star Jaelan Phillips and new backup Malik Reed, who had 13 combined sacks playing in Fangio’s defense for Denver in 2020 and 2021.
Emmanuel Ogbah, a defensive end, also is
considered an edge player.
Last season, Van Ginkel had 47 tackles, an interception and half a sack in 17 games, including five starts, but saw his playing time drop significantly because of the offseason
addition of Melvin Ingram and the Nov. 1 trade for Chubb.
Van Ginkel played just 29 percent of Miami’s defensive snaps, compared with 71 percent in 2021.
But Pro Football Focus rated Van Ginkel 34th among 120 qualifying edge players last season, and he had a very good 52.1 passer rating in his coverage area. And he played 306 snaps on special teams and led Miami with 12 special teams tackles.
In 56 career games (including 31 starts), Van Ginkel has 181 tackles, 11 sacks, one interception and two fumble recoveries, including one for a touchdown. Miami selected him in the fifth round, out of Wisconsin, in 2019.