Dolphins sign linebacker Kyle Van Noy: Grade and reactions

Kyle Van Noy is being reunited with former coach Brian Flores after agreeing to a four-year deal with the Miami Dolphins on Monday.

Head coach Brian Flores will see a familiar face on the Miami Dolphins sideline next season.

Kyle Van Noy, who played under Flores for three seasons in New England, has agreed to sign a four-year deal with the Dolphins when free agency begins on Wednesday. The linebacker, who turns 29 on March 26, amassed a career-high 6.5 sacks and seven tackles for loss with the Patriots in 2019.

Van Noy gives the Dolphins a versatile defender who can line up either on the line of scrimmage or as a linebacker. Most importantly, it gives them a veteran presence on a young defense that gave up the seventh-most passing yards in the NFL and a league-leading 39 passing touchdowns last season. Pro Football Focus rated Van Noy as the 16th best edge defender as he served as a stalwart on a Patriots defense that gave up the fewest points a season ago.

A former second-round pick of the Detroit Lions, Van Noy spent three full seasons in New England after being acquired from the Lions in a 2016 trade deadline deal.

In 51 games for the Patriots, he had 16.5 sacks and 250 tackles while winning two Super Bowl titles. Flores served as his linebackers coach and de facto defensive coordinator before leaving to become the head coach in Miami before last season.

The Dolphins entered the offseason with money to work with—a league-leading $89 million in salary-cap space—and put that to work on Monday. In addition to Van Noy, they signed cornerback Byron Jones, defensive end Shaq Lawson, and offensive guard Ereck Flowers to contracts that combined add up to $193 million.

Contract Details

The Dolphins are signing Van Noy to a four-year, $51 million contract, a deal first reported by NFL Network’s Mike Garofalo. The deal includes $30 million guaranteed and makes him the eighth highest-paid linebacker in the league.

National Reaction

Grade: A