Miami Dolphins linebacker Vince Biegel suffered a torn left Achilles tendon during Tuesday's practice and is expected to miss the season, a source confirmed to ESPN.
Biegel was very emotional after the injury, remaining down for a couple of minutes while teammate Kyle Van Noy and coach Brian Flores spoke to him. The Dolphins will now have to replace his on-field and off-the-field impact.
Biegel, 27, was unable to put weight on the leg without assistance and was carted off the practice field as teammates prayed around him. The severity of Biegel's injury was first reported Tuesday by The Athletic.
Biegel, a locker room favorite, was expected to compete for a starting linebacker job and play a key defensive role this season. He's known for his warm personality, his nonstop motor, and his former role as a cranberry farmer.
"He brings energy every day. He can be gassed out and he'll still be 110 percent," safety Eric Rowe said of Biegel on Tuesday afternoon. "He works hard. We all see it and it's a trickle-down effect."
Biegel was one of the brightest spots for the 2019 Dolphins after being acquired in a pre-cutdown day trade with the New Orleans Saints. Biegel transitioned from being primarily a special-teams player with the Saints to becoming arguably Miami's most effective pass-rusher. He led the Dolphins with 13 quarterback hits and finished third with 2.5 sacks in 15 games (10 starts) last season.
Flores also said before practice that the team will have to prepare as if cornerback Xavien Howard won't be available to play Week 1 at New England.
Howard is on the physically unable to perform list rehabbing a knee injury for which he underwent surgery in December. He's been running over the past couple of months in rehab but wasn't physically able to be cleared for football activities yet. To complicate matters, Howard was placed on the COVID-19/reserve list on Aug. 11 and remains there.
If Howard isn't able to play to start the season, rookie first-round draft pick Noah Igbinoghene and second-year player Nik Needham would be the top options to start for him. Top free-agent signing Byron Jones is expected to lock down one cornerback spot.