Tindall, Vandenburgh try to seize chance with veterans out. And Dolphins personnel notes

A six-pack of Dolphins notes on a Sunday:

▪ The Dolphins are in the unique and advantageous position of having four veteran starting inside linebackers on their roster, plus a fifth (Cam Brown) who is a core special teams player.

But that also leaves 2022 third-round pick Channing Tindall and intriguing prospect Ezekiel Vandenburg facing an uphill climb. Barring injuries, it’s difficult to see a path for either to make the 53-man roster.

But Jordyn Brooks and Anthony Walker Jr. have missed the past two practices with undisclosed injuries, giving each a window to make their case.

Tindall seized on that chance Saturday, sacking Skylar Thompson and limiting a rushing attempt to a short gain.

Dolphins linebackers coach Joe Barry said there has been no discussion of moving Tindall to outside linebacker, even though the team has less healthy depth at that position and even though Tindall’s best talent might be rushing the passer.

“Channing is the young guy in the room [and] I challenge him with daily improvement every day,” Barry said. “He’s had a phenomenal offseason, had a phenomenal camp. When you have a chess piece like that, you want to be able to use a guy.

“Channing is going a really good job of learning our new system, learning this new defense, finding his way as a young player. But as far as moving him to a different position, no, we haven’t discussed that. But when you show up on the practice field, it forces coaches to say we’ve got to get this guy on the field somehow.”

Tindall has played only 21 defensive snaps in his two seasons, compared with 411 on special teams.

As for Vandenburgh, the Dolphins signed him quickly after the 2023 draft after a season in which he produced 14 sacks as an outside linebacker and won Missouri Valley Conference Defensive Player of the Year.

But he tore the MCL in one of his knees 13 months ago, during a workout at Dolphins facilities between the offseason program and training camp.

“It was a freak accident, warming up, getting down on the floor, my knee buckled,” Vandenburgh said. “You might as well play with reckless abandon with your body because you can take one wrong step walking down the street and get hurt.”

Vandenburgh, who is playing inside linebacker for Miami at 232 pounds, said general manager Chris Grier “said ‘we signed you, so we’re going to give you another opportunity next year.’ I had not done anything for the team or earned anything from the organization, so for them to do that, that was huge.”

Vandenburgh has been watching teammate Walker’s tape to pick up nuances of inside linebacker. He played middle linebacker in high school and during his first two years at Illinois State, so the position switch is “not foreign,” he said. “I’m going to know the call, know where guys should line up.”

Vandenburgh has made several notable plays in camp, including an interception and a deflection that led to a pick by Jalen Ramsey.

▪ As for the veterans at inside linebacker (David Long, Brooks, Walker and Duke Riley), Barry said: “In our system, only two of them play at a time but the huge benefit is all four have been starters.

“Anthony started 12 games last year in Cleveland. Anytime you have guys that are in your backup role, a third or fourth inside linebacker that have that ability to go in and not miss a beat if you lose your first and second, is a huge advantage. We have four guys that have played a ton of football at a high level in this league and it’s huge.”

Brooks, who replaced Jerome Baker on Miami’s defense, has ideal “length and speed,” Barry said.

Brooks hasn’t practiced since mid-week, for undisclosed reasons. The Dolphins and NFL teams are under no obligation to discuss injuries before Week 1 of the season.

▪ After three years in the league, Liam Eichenberg said he’s now convinced his best positions long-term are the ones he’s now playing – right guard (where he’s competing with Jack Driscoll and potentially Robert Jones to start) and center (where he’s backing up Aaron Brewer).

“Obviously, I can play left guard, have played it, can play tackle but I enjoy right guard and center the most,” Eichenberg said.

This offseason, “my footwork sped up a lot,” Eichenberg said. “That’s one of the things that’s helped me ever since I moved to center.”

Is starting important to him going into the final year of his rookie contract?

“One hundred percent. I want to be out there. I said to Butch [Barry], ‘I don’t care where or what I’m playing. I just want to be out there.’ Butch is great, one of the best things to ever happen to me and this room.”

At this point, I would make Eichenberg the front-runner at right guard. Coaches have been effusive in their praise of Jones, and he seems the sensible choice to play left guard until Isaiah Wynn comes off the physically unable to perform list.

▪ Rookie fifth-round receiver Malik Washington made clear on Friday that he’s not particularly pleased with his performance in his first NFL training camp. But then he delivered a big catch, on a Tua Tagovailoa throw, late in Saturday’s practice.

“I set a high standard and so far I haven’t lived up to it,” he said. “I haven’t gotten there yet.”

He said receivers coach Wes Welker “wants me to play fast and be the guy they watched on film before the draft.”

For now, it appears that Washington, Braylon Sanders, Anthony Schwartz, injured Erik Ezukanma and Willie Snead IV are battling for the sixth receiver job. Braxton Berrios and River Cracraft are the front-runners for the fourth and fifth slots.

▪ Siran Neal, who was mostly a special teams player in Buffalo, has had some good moments at cornerback during the first 11 days of camp.

Neal played only 567 defensive snaps in six seasons with the Bills, including 63 and 45 snaps the past two seasons. That’s compared with 1714 special teams snaps.

“Even though I’ve been a top special teams player throughout my career, I’m not limiting myself,” he said. “When I came here, [cornerbacks coach Matthew Araujo] and [pass game coordinator Brian Duker] said what I would be doing outside and inside [at cornerback]. I’m comfortable in this defense, can do what I do best.”

▪ Ryan Crow, the Dolphins’ new outside linebackers coach, said the fact Emmanuel Ogbah has performed so well, after not being with an NFL team all summer, is “impressive. It didn’t surprise me because when you ask anyone in the building about who he is, they all spoke very highly of him.

“The coaches loved him, the players loved him. When we brought him back, I had an understanding of what we were getting. I’m thrilled.”