Dolphins’ unusual defense-to-offense plan has a Lynden High grad at the center of it
Say this about this Miami Dolphins staff: They’re willing to think outside the box.
One example: This regime, for the past year, has become intrigued with the idea of signing an elite small-school defensive end and converting that player to tight end.
And on Saturday, they executed that plan with Bryce Sterk, who ranked among the FCS sack leaders at Montana State but hasn’t played tight end since playing both offense and defense in high school in Lynden, Washington, according to his agents Chris Turnage and Evan Brennan.
Sterk graduated from Lynden High School in 2015 after helping the Lions to Class 2A state football titles in 2012 and 2013 and a runner-up finish in 2014 as a senior.
Brennan said the Dolphins approached him a couple of weeks before the draft and asked Sterk if he was willing to move to tight end if Miami signed him after the draft. This was mildly surprising, considering Miami didn’t work out Sterk before the draft because of the coronavirus pandemic and never actually observed him playing tight end.
Sterk, listed at 6-5 and 261 pounds, said he was interested in the Dolphins’ idea and had conversations with tight ends coach George Godsey.
After the draft, the Dolphins quickly made an offer, and Sterk picked Miami over offers from four other NFL teams who wanted to keep him on defense. Why?
For one, Sterk is a bright young man who likes challenges, Brennan said. And Brennan said “the pitch to Bryce was he would be the only tight end they would bring in. That was appealing. The Dolphins were the first to offer and they were aggressive about it. It was a tough decision.”
If Sterk impresses in training camp and preseason, he has a very good chance to land on the practice squad, which has been expanded from 10 to 12 players under the new collective bargaining agreement.
In 2015, Sterk was a two-star defensive end out of Lynden High and signed with the Washington Huskies; Eastern Washington and Wyoming were his only other offers, per Rivals.
But he transferred to Montana State after appearing in only one game for Washington over two seasons.
In 2018, Sterk led the Big Sky with 8.5 sacks and 17 tackles for loss as a linebacker/defensive lineman hybrid. He moved to defensive end as a senior, and his 15 sacks tied for the lead in FCS.
“Sterk was graded as a potential Day 3 pick by scouts entering the season,” NFL draft analyst Tony Pauline wrote in his pre-draft reports. “He’s a situational pass rusher at the next level who could stand over tackle in a 3-4 alignment, and could be a steal as a priority free agent if properly used.”
Brennan said Sterk is up to the challenge of playing tight end.
“Bryce is a great athlete,” he said. “The idea is bringing the defensive line mentality [to tight end] and Bryce has toughness. He’s excited.”
Dolphins rookies won’t join the team for virtual sessions until May 11, but Sterk is busy at home in Lynden, watching tape of tight ends (including Kansas City’s Travis Kelce) and catching passes from family members.
Once the Dolphins announce his signing (they’re not commenting on any of their undrafted rookie pickups at this time), he will join Mike Gesicki, Durham Smythe, former Detroit Lions backup Michael Roberts and second-year player Chris Myarick as the only tight ends under contract.
This story was originally published April 29, 2020 at 11:12 AM with the headline "Dolphins’ unusual defense-to-offense plan has a Lynden High grad at the center of it."
