'Just a grinder guy'? Huge payday should await Dolphins linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel | Habib

MIAMI GARDENS — There was disappointment last offseason. Linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel had put in four solid years for the Dolphins, meaning his rookie contract had run out. It is the time every drafted player looks forward to: that multiyear contract being slid across the table and with it, the knowledge he’d be set for life.

It didn’t happen.

Instead, the Dolphins retained Van Ginkel the same way they obtained him.

For a bargain.

But then, a funny thing happened, one that says any disappointment actually was a blessing. Because whatever Van Ginkel might have gotten a year ago can’t compare to how much he has made for himself in 2023.

To check Pro Football Focus’ ranking of the best edge defenders is to see Van Ginkel rated No. 6, in the company of elite players including Maxx Crosby, T.J. Watt, Khalil Mack, Bradley Chubb and Aidan Hutchinson — the kind of talent that commands monster deals to make life miserable for quarterbacks.

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Van Ginkel started the season hot, then turned it up higher after Jaelan Phillips suffered a season-ending Achilles injury. With two regular-season games still to go, including Sunday’s showdown with the Baltimore Ravens, Van Ginkel already has the best season totals of his career. December alone has seen him turn in two of his best performances.

“I’m still working,” Van Ginkel says. “You know it’ll never change. It’s kind of who I am, just a grinder guy that has always been under the radar. I wasn’t recruited out of high school, didn’t have a lot of big accolades in college. Every year in the league, it’s just a battle to be in the position I am in to get reps.”

Teammates sing praises of Andrew Van Ginkel

Sometimes it’s not the quantity of reps, it’s the quality. Anyone who doesn’t recognize Van Ginkel makes the most of his playing time isn’t paying attention. Fullback Alec Ingold knows. His time alongside Van Ginkel dates back to their collegiate careers at Wisconsin.

“It’s one of those funny things where being around him for so many years now, nobody can tell, like, why he makes plays or how he makes them — but he always does,” Ingold says. “It’s not a surprise to me because I’ve been there with him for a couple years in college and now in the NFL, but that’s the consistency that he provides. So I don’t think a lot of guys in the locker room are really surprised.”

Teammates are singing his praises. Literally. Ingold has dusted off a song — if it can be called that — in which college teammates turned “Andrew Van Ginkel” into lyrics. The only lyrics, repeated on a loop. (We are talking football players, not Lennon and McCartney.)

“Obviously, it means a lot,” Van Ginkel says. “They’ve got a lot of respect for me.”

The Dolphins essentially took a flier on Van Ginkel in the 2019 draft, selecting him in the fifth round, 151st overall. If they were fortunate to land him that late, they were equally lucky when free agency rolled around and Van Ginkel accepted their one-year offer at $2.65 million.

Think about it: a fifth-year veteran, with a wife and two young children, not getting a multiyear deal, not even getting a raise.

“Shoot, man, last year in free agency, I was trying to be his agent,” Ingold joked. “Maybe it’s a year delayed, I don’t know. Delayed mathematics.”

From the Dolphins’ point of view, Van Ginkel was coming off a season with 35 tackles and 0.5 sacks, both figures the fewest since his rookie year. But he also played a full season despite undergoing an appendectomy in preseason.

Van Ginkel, wife ’love it down here'

Now, both parties have a clearer picture of what Van Ginkel can offer.

“That’s the goal, is to sign an extra contract, whether it be down here in Miami or somewhere else,” he says.

Make no mistake: With the Dolphins days away from a huge test that could decide the top seed in the AFC, Van Ginkel isn’t sweating out his contract. The time for that is later. But, he added, “I just have to have faith in God and trust that he’ll be watching over me and he’s going to be guiding my step.

“So, you know, me and my family, my wife, Sam, love it down here. But at the end of the day, if there’s an opportunity elsewhere, I might take it on a different path. But the rest of it will take care of itself. I’m not trying to think about the future, what that holds. I’m just trying to be present and live in the moment and make the playoffs.”

The Dolphins already have secured a berth but can still earn a bye and home-field advantage. Van Ginkel has done his share, setting career highs with 65 tackles, six sacks and eight passes defensed through 15 games. He played much of a game against the Jets with a broken nose and didn't think much of it. December alone has seen him intercept a pass and return it for a touchdown against Washington, then record a career-best 10 tackles against Dallas.

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Call that prep for what awaits. Namely, MVP favorite Lamar Jackson, who can make edge rushers look foolish.

“Lamar is dynamic, obviously can make plays from anywhere,” Van Ginkel says. “He can do it with his legs, he can do it with his arm. So we’re going to have to contain him. We’re going to have to have all 11 sets of eyes on him.”

Another opportunity, you might say, to prove how valuable this edge rusher is.

Dolphins reporter Hal Habib can be reached at  hhabib@pbpost.com. Follow him on social media @gunnerhal. Click here to subscribe.

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This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Miami Dolphins' Andrew Van Ginkel a 'grinder' who deserves big bucks