The Miami Dolphins are led by their elite offense. If they want to climb the ranks of contenders in the AFC, they need to get better production out of their defense.
During the 2023 offseason, the front office made concerted efforts to improve. Jalen Ramsey was acquired in a trade from the Los Angeles Rams and David Long was signed in free agency.
As the team prepares for training camp in 2024, some reinforcements could be used on that side of the ball. The Miami Dolphins would be wise to dip into the free agent market to continue adding to their defense.
One player that Joe Tansey of Bleacher Report has urged the team to sign is veteran edge rusher Yannick Ngakoue. Teams can never have too many pass rushers and Ngakoue being available at this point in the offseason is a little surprising.
Some of that can stem from the injury he suffered during the 2023 season with the Chicago Bears. Last season was also the least productive of Ngakoue’s career, as he had only 4.0 sacks in 13 games.
It was the first time in his career that the Maryland product failed to record at least 8.0 sacks. Tansey believes that he is a good fit for the Miami Dolphins as elite insurance and depth off the edge.
“The Dolphins could add Ngakoue to a unit headlined by Calais Campbell and Zach Sieler to provide some depth off the edge.
It may not be the worst thing for the Dolphins to look into adding depth in the sack department, especially if Bradley Chubb needs more time to get back to 100 percent,” Tansey wrote.
The Miami Dolphins edge rushing group was decimated by injuries by the end of the 2023 season. In addition to Chubb’s ACL injury, the team also lost Jaelan Phillips to a torn Achilles.
Andrew Van Ginkel was also injured for their playoff game against the Kansas City Chiefs and signed with the Minnesota Vikings in free agency. In that playoff game, Emanuel Ogbah and Bruce Irvin also played significant roles and both remain free agents.
Ngakoue would provide the Miami Dolphins with another reliable pass rusher until Chubb and Phillips are healthy. Calais Campbell was a solid addition, but they could use more veteran help.
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