Omar Kelly Weighs In On Lawrence Timmons' Future With The Miami Dolphins
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MIAMI (CBSMiami) - The Miami Dolphins have not yet decided how to move forward with our without linebacker Lawrence Timmons.
The thirty-one year old veteran went AWOL hours before Miami's win over the Chargers in Los Angeles. He was found trying to board a flight to Pittsburgh after the Dolphins had filed a missing persons report.
On Monday, Dolphins head coach Adam Gase told reporters he still had insufficient information to draw any conclusions.
It's hard to imagine how a player who had started 101 consecutive games could suddenly walk away from his team without informing anyone.
On Tuesday, Sun Sentinel Dolphins beat writer Omar Kelly joined The Joe Rose Show on WQAM to discuss the Timmons saga.
"I've never seen anything like it," said Kelly. "You have to check his mental state, his mental stability. If you had told me this was gonna happen to anybody on the team, I would have guessed anyone else, but not Lawrence Timmons. This guy has been a pillar of stability. He's been a leader."
Dolphins center Mike Pouncey also described Timmons as a leader this week. Pouncey said "absolutely," the locker room would accept him with open arms if he returns to the club. Kelly is unsure if things would be that simple.
"I'm not sure the team can just accept him back without absolutely knowing this is not going to happen again," noted Kelly, who expects Timmons will need to have a long talk with his teammates and coaches if he does indeed return.
The other issue is this: How can head coach Adam Gase and the front office trust Timmons, who clearly violated team rules when he went missing? Gase said Monday he has two rules: "play hard and be on time."
Cutting Timmons just to send a message would be fiscally unwise. $11 Million of his $12 Million dollar contract is fully guaranteed.
Plus, if he's released, it would leave the Dolphins dangerously thin at the linebacker position. They played last Sunday with just four active linebackers.
"I don't see any benefit to just cutting him because he's a very important piece," said Kelly, who noted much of the defensive scheme was built around Timmons and his run-stopping abilities.
"I'm a guy who focuses on the 52nd guy on the roster, and when I found out he ditched the team, I couldn't tell you the backup linebackers," Kelly said, when speaking on the depth.
The Dolphins are off Tuesday, but coach Gase will address the media on Wednesday after practice.
You can listen to the full interview with Omar Kelly on The Joe Rose Show above.
