Omar Kelly: Dolphins’ Jonathan Ledbetter hopes to have resurgent season in 2021

Jonathan Ledbetter uses both of his hands to slowly caress the double-AA-battery-sized scars that bookend his right knee.

His fingers rub the area that once had stitches, which secured the three areas of his knee and right leg that were surgically repaired last April after he tore two ligaments and his hamstring when his leg got trapped in a patch of grass.

Ledbetter was participating in an offseason workout program with his teammates — much like the one he attended at Pete Bommarito’s Performance last Thursday, getting ready for the NFL season — and the surface underneath him didn’t cooperate as his body pivoted.

As a result, the Miami Dolphins defensive lineman was out for the season for the second consecutive year.

“I think about it every day,” Ledbetter said.

Most Dolphins fans don’t remember Ledbetter because it’s been nearly two years since he last set foot on a football field for a game.

However, he was one of the few bright spots of the 2019 training camp. An undrafted rookie from the University of Georgia, Ledbetter performed so well in camp and the exhibition season he started his very first NFL game.

That’s right, Ledbetter was on the field at defensive end right next to first-round pick Christian Wilkins in the 2019 season-opening 59-10 loss to the Baltimore Ravens, and he actually produced four tackles and half a sack in that embarrassing loss.

But he suffered a foot injury late in that contest, which got him placed on injured reserve the next week.

Miami planned to bring him back, activating him after he sat out the required eight weeks, but when the widow opened Miami needed those two roster spots designated for an injured player to return for other players.

That meant Ledbetter was shut down for the year.

“I had the opportunity play for a scheme [that I knew], and fell right into that and did some good things,” Ledbetter said about his one NFL game. “Then I got hurt. It’s part of the business.”

Ledbetter viewed 2019 as a redshirt season, and planned to come back in 2020 with a vengeance, proving that the hot start to his pro career was no fluke.

Then the knee and hamstring injuries happened away from the Dolphins’ facility because of the COVID-19 pandemic, which prevented offseason workouts from happening at NFL facilities last year.

The Dolphins took care of Ledbetter. Miami set up his surgery the very next day, and handled every minute of his rehab until he went back to the University of Georgia this summer after the team’s offseason program ended.

“It’s been tough. A long journey. But I’ll definitely say it’s taught me a lot of things, and I’m grateful for it all,” Ledbetter said of his two-year rehabilitation process.

“I’ve had people in my corner supporting me. The organization. Coach Flo (Brian Flores). They have done wonders for me. The stuff they’ve done is unheard of. They didn’t have to. So it goes to show beyond the football field the character they have in that building.

“That’s why I want to pay it forward for them and this organization.”

Players who get injured away from team facilities aren’t covered by their contracts. Yet, all have been expected to keep training during the pandemic, and when there are no organized team activities.

It’s a gray area, and teams on occasion use injuries that occur away from the facility to void contracts. Former Dolphin JaWuan James was released by the Denver Broncos after suffering an injury this offseason, despite being owed guaranteed money.

The Dolphins placed Ledbetter on injured reserve after his surgery and paid him $142,800 of his $610,000 salary. The Dolphins had the right to adjust the salary, and did so. But he was able to rehab at the facility and remained part of the team, and Ledbetter is thankful for the support.

Now he’s hoping his production on the field when training camp opens at the end of the month will reward the franchise’s patience.

“I would say Ledbetter has been great in everything he’s doing,” new defensive line coach Austin Clark said in May when addressing his unit during the offseason program. “I’m really excited about [Ledbetter]. He’s a good smart player. The stuff I’ve seen on tape of him is great too in [2019].”

Ledbetter is a 3-technique defensive end, which means he’s best lining up on the outside shoulder of the opposing guards, typically in a 3-4 front, like the one the Dolphins use as their base defense.

The Dolphins use Emmanuel Ogbah as a 3-technique on one side, and signed Adam Butler this offseason to play on the other side. Miami sprinkles in defensive tackles, and linebackers based on the package they need. But traditional 3-technique defensive ends aren’t easy to find, and they are difficult to develop.

Ledbetter is in Miami’s development program, right along with Jason Strowbridge, a 2020 fifth-round pick, Tyshun Render and Nick Coe, two fellow college standouts who went undrafted.

Training camp will determine everyone’s status, and while Ledbetter has plenty of rust to work off, he couldn’t be more thrilled about the opportunity to put pads on and pick up where he left off.

“They’re going to see a wild dog out there cause that’s really how I play,” said Ledbetter, who recorded 122 tackles, 4.5 sacks and forced two fumbles at Georgia. “I’m excited to put that back on tape.”