Is Channing Tindall Ready to Contribute in Year 2?

Channing Tindall openly admits he found himself in over his head at times last season.

The first of four players the Miami Dolphins selected in the 2022 NFL draft found it difficult to digest the team’s defensive playbook. His head was spinning with all the schemes and roles, and at times it so overwhelmed his rookie season he barely carved out a special teams role last season.

Tindall was on the field for all of nine defensive snaps last year, and characterized last season as a redshirt year.

“My rookie season was a learning experience,” said Tindall, a former Georgia standout who Miami selected with the 102nd pick in a draft where many selections were traded away. “I wasn’t satisfied with everything that I did my rookie season. But I feel like I learned a lot.”

The big question is whether or not those lessons will carry over to this season and benefit the Dolphins. The jury is deliberating that.

The Dolphins ended the final week of the team’s offseason work with Andrew Van Ginkel, an outside linebacker being cross-trained to play inside, and with two undrafted rookies — Aubrey Miller Jr. and Zeke Vandenburgh — handling the backup work.

DOLPHINS HAVE DEPTH ISSUE AT LINEBACKER

So to say there’s a potential issue with depth at inside linebacker would be an understatement.

Last week, when newly hired defensive coordinator Vic Fangio expressed concern about his unit’s lack of depth and the need for young players to step up, it was pretty clear from witnessing the practices that linebacker sat atop his list of positions that need to be addressed by the personnel department before training camp opens.

David Long Jr. and Tindall’s absences, which were caused by nagging injuries, had a domino effect on the defense, and the hope is that both players heal up and when they return to the field Miami’s inside linebacker issues vanishes into thin air.

But there’s no guarantee on that because Tindall’s being asked to learn a new defense in his second NFL season, and he wasn’t on the field much this offseason to work in it.

“I’m learning it mentally. I’m just recovering right now, and doing what I need to do and doing what I can,” said Tindall, who contributed 67 tackles, 5.5 sacks and forced one fumble in his final season with the Bulldogs. “I like Vic Fangio’s defense. Outside looking in it can seem complicated, but it’s a little bit more understandable to me personally. The moving pieces that he has, the way my brain works, I understand it better.”

Enough to potentially challenge for playing time, or a prominent role?

The goal is to have someone ready, and capable to step up and play well as a starter in case something sidelines Jerome Baker or Long.

TINDALL BRINGS IMPRESSIVE ATHLETICISM

Tindall needs to prove that he’s ready for the task in training camp by showcasing the top-notch athleticism that motivated the Dolphins to select him early, and over other linebackers.

He ran a 4.47 time in the 40-yard dash at the combine, and was clocked with a 10-yard split of 1.55, which are both fast for players at his position.

He also has an impressive 42-inch vertical, and 10-foot-9 broad jump, which all are indicators that he's an upper-echelon athlete.

“You get guys and you want to give them a chance to sit back and learn and do some things on special teams,” Dolphins Assistant General Manager Marvin Allen said about the draftees. “(You do this) knowing that their value would be much more down the line than it was immediately.”

Tindall’s college career hints he can be a disruptive player in the backfield when he is decisive. That’s evident from the 12 sacks he produced, 5.5 of which came in his senior season with the Bulldogs.

While he lacks ideal length as a true edge defender, he supposedly plays with good instinctive feel in the box. That means he potentially could excel as Baker’s backup, filling a weakside linebacker role.

Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel said his staff was encouraged last year by the work they saw from Tindall as a member of the scout team, which gave Miami's first-team offense the opponent's defensive looks during the week.

“I’m expecting a big offseason and a big jump in Year 2. Channing knows that. He has that expectation for himself," McDaniel said at the NFL owners meeting earlier this spring. "He worked very diligently. But I think it’s a matter of him really being able to visualize, and really carry out all assignments within the defensive structure. I know he’s really mandating for himself to take another step."