Dolphins’ Vince Biegel Tears Achilles
The Dolphins are set to be without a key defensive role player this season. Linebacker Vince Biegel suffered an Achilles’ tendon tear Tuesday, Josh Tolentino of The Athletic tweets.
A fourth-year defender, Biegel started 10 games for the Dolphins last season. He led the team with 13 quarterback hits. The former Packers draftee entered 2019 without any QB hits in his previous two seasons.
Biegel and the Dolphins were discussing an extension in January. While the pandemic prompted many teams to table extension talks, Biegel’s value will take a serious hit with Tuesday’s news. The Dolphins tendered the former fourth-round pick as an RFA this offseason.
While the Dolphins featured plenty of opportunities for previously under-the-radar players to see playing time last season, they featured some experience at linebacker in Raekwon McMillan and Jerome Baker. Biegel still played 56% of Miami’s defensive snaps — after previously never clearing the 12% threshold while with the Packers and Saints — and recorded 59 tackles and an interception.
Dolphins LB Vince Biegel Signs RFA Tender
Vince Biegel will play next season under the RFA tender. The restricted free agent linebacker signed his deal with the Dolphins today (per the team’s Twitter account). Biegel will earn around $2.13MM next season.
We heard back in January that the two sides were working on a long-term, and Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald tweets that that was indeed the case. However, the two sides couldn’t agree to terms, resulting in today’s transaction. Biegel was initially tendered at his original-round level by the Dolphins back in March.
The 2017 fourth-round pick spent his first two professional seasons in a backup role for the Packers and Saints. Prior to the start of the 2019 regular season, he was traded to Miami for Kiko Alonso, and he proceeded to have the best season of his career. The 26-year-old established career-highs across the board, finishing with 59 tackles, 2.5 sacks, and one interception in 15 games (10 starts).
Biegel isn’t the first restricted free agent to sign his tender with the Dolphins. Last week, punter Matt Haack inked his new deal with Miami.
RFA/ERFA Tender Decisions: 3/16/20
Monday’s restricted free agent and exclusive rights free agent tender decisions will be posted below. Deals will be updated throughout the day.
RFAs
Tendered at original-round level:
- Bengals: TE Cethan Carter, G Alex Redmond, DT Josh Tupou, S Brandon Wilson
- Broncos: WR Tim Patrick
- Dolphins: LB Vince Biegel, P Matt Haack
- Raiders: QB Nathan Peterman, LB Nicholas Morrow
- Seahawks: WR David Moore, C Joey Hunt, DE Branden Jackson
Non-tendered:
- Bills: WR Isaiah McKenzie
- Dolphins: S Adrian Colbert, LB Deon Lacey
- Eagles: RB Corey Clement
- Giants: C Jon Halapio
ERFAs
Tendered:
- Broncos: S Trey Marshall, WR Diontae Spencer, CB Shakial Taylor
- Browns: Pharaoh Brown, RB Dontrell Hilliard, WR KhaDarel Hodge
- Chiefs: G Andrew Wylie
- Colts: DB Rolan Milligan
- Lions: CB Dee Virgin
- Ravens: RB Gus Edwards
Non-tendered:
- Chiefs: TE David Wells
Dolphins, Vince Biegel Discussing Extension
The Dolphins have told linebacker Vince Biegel that they would like to re-sign him, according to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. The two sides have already discussed the possibility of a multiyear deal, so it sounds like a fresh contract could come his way before he hits restricted free agency in March.
“We’ll get something done,” Biegel said, adding that he wants to remain in Miami.
The Dolphins acquired Biegel in August when they shipped linebacker Kiko Alonso to the Saints. This year, Biegel notched 59 tackles, 2.5 sacks, and an interception in 15 games for Miami while making ten starts. In his two previous pro seasons with the Saints, the 26-year-old had never started a game.
Armed with upwards of $100MM in cap space, the Dolphins should have plenty of cash available to re-up Biegel and address their many needs on both sides of the ball. Biegel will turn 27 in July, so a new pact could lock him down through his prime years.
In other Dolphins news, Chan Gailey was hired on New Year’s Eve to serve as the club’s new offensive coordinator. He replaces Chad O’Shea, who was canned after just one season in South Beach.
Dolphins Trade Kiko Alonso To Saints
The Dolphins aren’t cutting linebacker Kiko Alonso after all. We heard yesterday that Miami was releasing Alonso, which suggested the club’s efforts to trade him had been fruitless. However, Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network reports that the Fins are trading Alonso to the Saints (Twitter link), and Nick Underhill of The Athletic tweets that New Orleans is sending back LB Vince Biegel.
For Alonso, this is good news from a competitive and financial standpoint. Since he was traded rather than released, he remains tied to his $6.48MM salary for 2019, for which the Saints are now on the hook. Plus, New Orleans is a legitimate Super Bowl contender, while Miami is in the middle of a complete teardown.
Alonso has started every game in which he has appeared for the Dolphins since joining the team in 2016, compiling 354 tackles and five interceptions over that time. However, despite the nice interception total, he generally struggles in coverage and is not especially well-regarded by advanced metrics.
He can be effective when deployed properly, and he will join a Saints defense that also includes A.J. Klein, Alex Anzalone, and Demario Davis. He will provide solid depth if nothing else, but given the salary the team is taking on, it seems that New Orleans plans to give him a significant role. Plus, Anzalone and Craig Robertson haven’t practiced in some time, and Klein missed practice all of last week, so the Saints needed a plug-and-play LB.
Biegel, who has just 14 career tackles to his name, was used as an edge rusher and as a linebacker in the preseason, as Mike Triplett of ESPN.com tweets. The Dolphins may have been intrigued by his versatility, but it’s not as though they had a ton of leverage to ask for a more established player or for draft picks. Biegel appeared primarily on special teams for the Saints in 2018, but he will have the opportunity to earn a larger role with the Fins.
ERFA Signings: 2/11/19
With free agency barely a month away, teams have begun to make moves regarding their exclusive-rights free agents. Here are Monday’s ERFA decisions:
Detroit Lions
- DE Mitchell Loewen
- LB Steve Longa
New Orleans Saints
- WR Justin Hardee
- LS Zach Wood
- C Cameron Tom
- LB Vince Biegel
Minor NFL Transactions: 9/21/18
Today’s minor moves will be posted and updated here:
New Orleans Saints
- Signed: LB Vince Biegel
- Waived: CB Arthur Maulet
Sunday NFL Transactions: NFC South
Listed below are the Sunday roster moves for the four NFC South teams. Following the 53-man roster cutdown deadline yesterday, many teams will make slight tweaks to their rosters, claiming players off waivers or signing guys who clear waivers. Those transactions for the Falcons, Panthers, Saints, and Buccaneers are noted below.
Additionally, as of 12:00pm CT today, teams can begin constructing their 10-man practice squads. You can check out our glossary entry on practice squads to brush up on those changes, as well as all the other guidelines that govern the 10-man units, whose players practice with the team but aren’t eligible to suit up on Sundays.
Here are Sunday’s NFC South transactions, which will continue to be updated throughout the day:
Atlanta Falcons
Practice squad:
- QB Kurt Benkert
- OT Daniel Brunskill
- DB Deante Burton
- TE Jaeden Graham
- TE Alex Gray
- WR Devin Gray
- C J.C. Hassenauer
- DB Ryan Neal
- LS Jeff Overbaugh
- DT Jacob Tuioti-Mariner
Carolina Panthers
Placed on injured reserve:
Signed:
- CB Lorenzo Doss
Practice squad:
- QB Kyle Allen
- RB Reggie Bonnafon
- WR Mose Frazier
- TE Jason Vander Laan
- G Taylor Hearn
- OL Dorian Johnson
- DE Kiante Anderson
- DT Kendrick Norton
- CB Cole Luke
- S Dezmen Southward
New Orleans Saints
Signed to practice squad:
- QB J.T. Barrett
- LB Vince Biegel
- TE Garrett Griffin
- DT Woodrow Hamilton
- DE Alex Jenkins
- WR Keith Kirkwood
- T Rick Leonard
- RB Dwayne Washington
- RB Jonathan Williams
- OL Nate Wozniak
- TE Deon Yelder
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Packers Move Roster To 53
The Packers have trimmed their roster to 53 by making the following transactions:
Waived/Injured:
- RB Devante Mays
- T Kyle Murphy
- CB Quinten Rollins
Placed on suspended list:
- RB Aaron Jones
Cut:
- G Kofi Amichia
- LB Vince Biegel
- RB Joel Bouagnon
- CB Donatello Brown
- TE Emanuel Byrd
- RB LeShun Daniels
- C Austin Davis
- C Dillon Day
- LB Kendall Donnerson
- S Marwin Evans
- CB Demetri Goodson
- CB Josh Hawkins
- LB James Hearns
- RB Bronson Hill
- LB Naashon Hughes
- WR Adonis Jenings
- FB Joe Kerridge
- DL Tyler Lancaster
- WR Kyle Lewis
- DL James Looney
- LB Greer Martini
- DL Joey Mbu
- LB Chris Odom
- G/T Adam Pankey
- LB Marcus Porter
- TE Kevin Rader
- FB Aaron Ripkowski
- DL Conor Sheehy
- TE Ryan Smith
- LB Ahmad Thomas
- LS Zach Triner
- WR DeAngelo Yancey
Packers’ Taybor Pepper Done For Season
Packers long snapper Taybor Pepper broke his foot in practice on Thursday, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). He’s done for the season and will be placed on injured reserve. 
The Packers moved quickly to work out long snappers on Friday. After the auditions, they settled on Derek Hart, according to Rapoport (Twitter link). In related news, the Packers are bringing fourth-round rookie linebacker Vince Biegel off of the PUP list. Both players will have an opportunity to make their Packer debuts against the Lions on Monday night.
Pepper, 23, was a long way from football in September when he was working the cash register at his parents’ consignment store. Suddenly, an opportunity opened up with the Packers when long snapper Brett Goode went down with a hamstring injury.
“My agent called me and was kind of like, ‘There might be a situation. There might not be. Be ready,’” Pepper said (via the team’s website). “After the game, [Packers director of football operations] Eliot Wolf called me and said, ‘We need you here.’”