Don’t Count Out Zeke Vandenburgh This Training Camp
Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports
It’s that time of year folks! We’re finally at the stage where practice reports are beginning to surface and we can slowly start evaluating players.
On the first day of camp where the media was present, Tua Tagovailoa’s participation was limited while the Dolphins worked with his representatives to hammer out an extension. So it should come as no surprise to hear that the defense dominated on the first day of practice. One of the standout performers of the day was linebacker Zeke Vandenburgh, who intercepted a pass from Tua intended for tight end Tanner Conner during 7-on-7s.
Obviously, one good outing on the first day of practice doesn’t necessarily mean he’ll make the team. However, a strong preseason means Vandenburgh could emerge as a rotational linebacker. He might be obscure, but a look at his background shows a player who’s on an upward trajectory.
The Miami Dolphins signed Vandenburgh last offseason as an undrafted free agent, and he only received $20,000 in guaranteed money, then a meager $2,000 prorated signing bonus that is spread out over three years. Just based on that, he’s not someone you’d expect to stick around for very long. Now, the reason a lot of people haven’t heard of Vandenburgh is because of an injury he suffered during last year’s training camp, then forced him to spend the entirety of the 2023 season on IR. Now that he’s healthy again, the Dolphins can expect Zeke to be quite the worker bee.
Vandenburgh’s biggest strength on film is his high motor. Despite being an undersized edge rusher in college and not being the most gifted athlete, he put up some great individual numbers during his senior year at Illinois State. Through 10 games, Vandenburgh registered over 100 total tackles, including 21 tackles for loss, 14.0 sacks, 5 passes deflected, 1 interception, 2 forced fumbles, and a fumble recovery.
In Dane Brugler’s 2023 edition of “The Beast,” his massive annual scouting report, Vandenburgh was ranked as his 45th-best linebacker. What’s interesting is that Brugler viewed Vandenburgh as an off-ball linebacker, but he didn’t get a ton of snaps as an inside linebacker in college. Since he’s undersized, scouts projected that Zeke would be better off as an inside guy.
This creates a bit of a dilemma for the Dolphins. Should they have Vandenburgh work as an edge rusher where he’s more comfortable, even if his athletic upside is much lower compared to other players on the roster? Or do you play him at inside linebacker with the hope he can be more effective there in the long term? So far, the Phins have been giving him reps at inside linebacker, but don’t count out the possibility that they utilize him more as an outside linebacker, where he’d be more useful in the short term.
But first, he has to make the roster. At the bare minimum, Miami has four guys ahead of Vandenburgh on the depth chart if they list him as an inside linebacker. Jordyn Brooks and David Long are the established starters who will play a significant amount of snaps. There’s no need for the Dolphins to rotate inside linebackers, but if they did, then Duke Riley and Anthony Walker would be next in line for snaps, not Vandenburgh.
Whereas at outside linebacker, there’s Chop Robinson and everyone else. Although the Dolphins just signed Emmanuel Ogbah, he looked noticeably out of shape in his first practice, as if he wasn’t expecting a team to sign him. Mohamed Kamara is the only other notable player who could get some snaps as a rotational pass rusher, but he’s a late-round rookie and may not be ready for that kind of role just yet.
Right now, the odds of making the 53-man roster are stacked against Vandenburgh. However, if the Dolphins start giving him some reps at outside linebacker — which again, is his natural position — then no one should be surprised if he sneaks his way onto the team as an unexpected training camp standout.
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