Tyus Bowser stepped off a red-eye flight from Seattle to Miami. Three days later, he was the starting outside linebacker for the Miami Dolphins against the New England Patriots.

Bowser is fortunate to have played under Anthony Weaver, the Dolphins’ defensive coordinator, when the two played with the Baltimore Ravens. Familiarity with the system made it easier for Bowser to step in and take control of the position. He already knew the defense system.

Bowser played for the Ravens from 2017 to 2022 and Weaver was Baltimore’s defensive line coach from 2021 to 2023.

“Tyus is obviously a guy that I have a long history with and unfortunately he missed last season dealing with some issues with his knee. I think Tyus is a great football player,” Weaver said. “I still think he’s kind of working his way back to where he was before the injury, but as far as the team goes, he’s extremely competent. He can play multiple positions.”

Weaver said he monitored Bowser when he was no longer playing football and waited for him to be cleared to play.

Bowser was definitely a player on Weaver’s radar.

“I’ve been keeping an eye on Tyus for a while because when I got here he wasn’t cleared to play yet,” Weaver said. “So we just kept an eye on him and saw where he was health-wise. Just because I knew he would be a seamless addition to the defense.”

When Bowser played for Weaver, he played both the right and inside linebacker positions.

“So when you get someone who is so familiar with what you’re doing, especially at this point in the season, that’s huge for a defense because you don’t have to limit yourself when he’s in the game,” said Weaver. “So I think the sky is the limit for him the more confidence he develops and how advanced he is with his body. I think we’ll see even more performance from him.”

Weaver compares bringing Bowser to Miami to when Rex Ryan brought Bart Scott and Jim Leonhard from Baltimore to the Jets.

“You have people who are familiar with schemes and can now help you teach the other guys some of the intricacies of what you’re trying to accomplish,” Weaver said. “So in terms of his flexibility, I mean he can play as a Sam-backer. You can attack him from multiple spots on the sidelines, he can drop from inside, and he knows every shot in detail. This is simply enormous added value for us.”