Evans’ departure opens door for Vickerson

By Hugo Guzman  |   Tuesday, July 03, 2007  |  Comments( 8 )

Miami Dolphins
Got something to say?

Log In above and share your thoughts on this topic with other fans!
It was only two weeks ago that I brought up the subject of young defensive tackles primed to step into a more prominent role with the Miami Dolphins. At the top of the list was second-year man Fred Evans.

Well, so much for that idea.

Evans has since been released from the team because of a run-in with the law in South Beach, so the Dolphins must now look elsewhere for legitimate depth behind aging veterans Keith Traylor and Vonnie Holliday. Among the original list of candidates to fill the void were front-running youngsters like Rodrique Wright, Chase Page and Paul Soliai. Sadly, though, a viable option by the name of Kevin Vickerson was overlooked.

Fortunately, a Dolphins fan made sure to point out the oversight, and that got me to thinking, Can a guy who was relegated to the now-defunct NFL Europa be counted on to be a major contributor in the big league?

Granted, Vickerson is not your typical overseas also-ran, having earned first-team All-NFL Europa honors as a member of the Cologne Centurions this summer; but then again, plenty of guys with great NFL Europa pedigrees have failed to make their respective 53-man rosters, let alone contribute in a meaningful way.

Vickerson recorded 31 tackles and 3½ sacks for Cologne and is sure to enter Dolphins training camp with a healthy serving of confidence and polish -- something he lacked during his first two seasons with the team.

More importantly, it appears that the Michigan State product is finally fully recovered from an ACL injury he suffered against the Atlanta Falcons during a preseason contest back in 2005. That setback forced Vickerson to spend his entire rookie campaign on the Injured Reserve list and seemed to linger on through into the 2006 season. Clearly, his showing in Europe hints at the idea that 24-year-old has finally regained his pre-injury form.

However, let's not get too far ahead of ourselves. After all, Vickerson was little more than a seventh-round afterthought back in '05, selected 216th overall during that year's draft. His draft status and tour of duty in Europe suggest that Vickerson is a longshot at best and that any contribution at the NFL level would be more of a pleasant surprise than a foregone conclusion.

Still, hope springs eternal for Vickerson. It's early July and the young DT will enter training camp with a legitimate shot at earning top backup honors behind the incumbent starters. Nobody knows for sure if he'll ever become a true contributing factor, but with Evans out of the way, Vickerson will have more of a fighting chance.

Fantasy Football is right around the corner. Make sure to check out our fantasy & news updates on the upper right-hand corner of the homepage.
Got something to say?

Log In above and share your thoughts on this topic with other fans! (8)

About Hugo Guzman

Trying to bring an objective approach to NFL analysis.
read more
Article Tools Share!   |  RSS  |  Bleacher Report About Bleacher Report
CommentsComments: 8  |  Sign Up  View all comments
No.1
Hans		09:20 AM
07/03/2007
Vickerson was one of my favorite picks that year, and I was devastated to hear he tore his ACL in pre-season. Didn't Kevin Karter...
No.2
PHINTIM		10:41 AM
07/03/2007
Evans leaving open lots of door for players like Vickerson, Fifta, Bruce, Love or a street FA to make the squad. Vickerson...
No.3
Matthew, Boise		03:07 PM
07/03/2007
It seems obvious that Traylor and Soliai will make the roster. That would seem to leave one, possibly two, spots open at DT...
Team News  |  View All Dolphins Content
Henne takes baby steps, Wake...
In a game filled with mental mistakes and execution errors, the Miami...
1 year, 3 months ago   |   Henne takes baby steps, Wake takes giant strides in Dolphins win over Packers ( 4 )
For Dolphins, it’s not how t...
Dolphins fans are fretting because of Miami's two-game slide, and with...
1 year, 4 months ago   |   For Dolphins, it’s not how they start, it’s how they finish ( 1 )
Wait until the Dolphins’ off...
As exciting as a second straight road win is for the Miami Dolphins, w...
1 year, 4 months ago   |   Wait until the Dolphins’ offense catches up with the defense ( 2 )
Random observations from Dol...
If there's one thing I've learned over the years it's that a win is a...
1 year, 5 months ago   |   Random observations from Dolphins’ Week 1 win at Buffalo ( 11 )
Dolphins Ginn in New York
Returning a kickoff for a touchdown is a very rare thing in the NFL. W...
2 years, 3 months ago   |   Dolphins Ginn in New York ( 1 )