Rob Beal Is Out, and the Linebacker Room Is Down to Its Last Options

Robert Beal Jr. is listed as out, which means the linebacker depth chart Miami already patched once is now thinner than it was when they made the patch. Shaka Heyward, signed to shore up the room, moves into the top spot by default. Liam Anderson is third. That's the depth.

The sequence that created this situation is worth tracing. Miami released Tyrel Dodson in late August — 129 tackles and 5 sacks in 2025, gone as part of the defensive overhaul. Jordyn Brooks got his three-year, $51.3 million extension to anchor the position long-term, which was the right call. But between the Dodson cut, a preseason ankle injury to rookie Trey Moore, and now Beal going out, the room has been whittled down faster than the additions have kept pace. Heyward's signing was reactive then. It looks more reactive now.

Brooks remains the foundation and, when healthy, a legitimate one — 183 tackles last season across all 17 games. But one player does not constitute linebacker depth, and right now the names behind him on that chart are thin enough that any further attrition becomes a genuine problem rather than a manageable inconvenience. Miami has been managing inconveniences at this position all summer. This one has a little less margin left.