The Miami Dolphins have serious issues on the edge after registering 56 sacks in 2023.
The Miami Dolphins were thrown a curveball just days before training camp as two-time Super Bowl champion linebacker Shaq Barrett announced his retirement. With linebackers Jaelan Phillips and Bradley Chubb on the Physically Unable to Perform List, Barrett was projected to start after signing a one-year deal with the Dolphins in March.
The Dolphins drafted Chop Robinson No. 21 in the 2024 NFL Draft and added Mohamed Kamara in the fifth round, but reinforcements are needed until Phillips and Chubb can return to action. Here are three players Miami could pursue to bolster the pass rush with training camp looming.
Carl Lawson
Lawson had seven sacks for the New York Jets in 2022 but fell out of the rotation in the final year of a three-year deal he signed in 2020.
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Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images
A fourth-round selection by the Cincinnati Bengals, Lawson visited with Miami before the draft. While the Dolphins instead chose to upgrade the position with a pair of rookie draft picks, re-visiting the idea of signing Lawson makes plenty of sense with Miami desperate for pass-rush experience.
Lawson, 29, has 27 career quarterback takedowns and recorded at least five sacks in each of the four seasons he played at least 12 games.
Tyus Bowser
The Baltimore Ravens released Bowser as a cap casualty in March, saving $5.5 million in the process. He didn’t play last season because of a knee injury and has appeared in nine games since the start of the 2022 season.
A 2017 second-round pick, Bowser played at least 15 games in five straight seasons to begin his career. He emerged as a full-time starter with a career-high eight sacks and 25 quarterback hurries in 2021.
Bowser has familiarity with defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver and his track record of getting to the quarterback could outweigh injury concerns.
Melvin Ingram
Melvin Ingram, a 2012 first-round pick by the San Diego Chargers, appeared in 20 games with the Dolphins over the last two seasons. He surprised with six sacks in 2022 while registering 1.5 sacks over three games last season.
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Photo by Michael Owens/Getty Images
Ingram was a free agent for most of last season, but just like late last season, Miami must explore all possible options to strengthen the unit. With 12 years of experience, Ingram may have enough left to be an early-season option on a defensive line featuring Zach Sieler and Calais Campbell.
Chubb and Phillips are expected to play at least half — if not most — of the season. Therefore, Miami isn’t searching for someone to play 500 snaps. However, a pass-rush specialist would benefit the defense early in the year.
I considered adding Emmanuel Ogbah to this list but wasn’t sure he’d be willing to play in Weaver’s defense. His agent, Drew Rosenhaus, mentioned that Ogbah would like to play as a 4-3 defensive end in 2024.
“We want to make sure [Ogbah’s] with the right team playing in the 4-3 scheme where he’s more of a defensive end than he is a linebacker — that’s pretty much what he was asked to do last year, and he was somewhat out of position,” Rosenhaus said.
Let us know what you think — who will start on the edge against the Jacksonville Jaguars on opening day? Will Miami add reinforcements through free agency, or will the rookies step up and claim starting roles?