When people talk about the Miami Dolphins, the first thing they mention is their offense. It is hard to ignore what could be the most explosive unit in the NFL.
The Miami Dolphins are loaded with talent on offense. Tua Tagovailia, Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle, Odell Beckham Jr., Raheem Mostert and Devon Achane are an elite group.
But, there is also plenty of talent on the defensive side of the ball. On that unit is where Conor Orr of Sports Illustrated believes the team’s most underrated player resides.
Orr recently wrote a piece detailing the most underrated player for each team in the AFC. For the Miami Dolphins, his selection was edge rusher Bradley Chubb.
“O.K., you’ve heard of Chubb. But the reason I put him on this list (as I sometimes do for other highly regarded players) is that we don’t think of him properly. Chubb is one of the best edge defenders in the NFL. Last year, he had just three fewer sacks and four fewer pressures than Myles Garrett, who won the NFL’s Defensive Player of the Year award,” Orr wrote.
In 16 games, Chubb recorded 11 sacks, 11 tackles for loss, 22 quarterback hits and 33 pressures. He led the NFL with six forced fumbles and added two passes defended for good measure.
One of the reasons that Orr thinks so highly of Chubb is that he gets the job done no matter who he is going up against. Whether it is an elite tackle or a lower-tier team, he produces at a high level.
“He plays well against top-flight offensive tackles and tends to wear them down, and blows up different protection schemes where running backs and wide receivers try to contain him without help from the tackles. Against lesser opponents, he’s what you want: dominant,” Orr wrote.
Part of the reason that Chubb isn’t looked at in the same light as someone such as Myles Garrett was the price it cost the Miami Dolphins to acquire him from the Denver Broncos.
Miami sent a first-round pick to Denver before signing him to a lucrative long-term deal. Expectations are higher for someone like Chubb compared to a homegrown talent such as Garrett.
“Because of the high price tag that Chubb came with—the Dolphins traded a first-round pick for Chubb in 2022—he’s going to be held to a high standard, but no one player can transform a defense on their own. Chubb comes close despite playing on a unit that doesn’t have the same aid that other top pass rushers such as Garrett enjoy,” as written by Orr.
Unfortunately for the Miami Dolphins, we may not see Chubb on the field early in the season. On December 31st against the Baltimore Ravens, he suffered a torn ACL.
Normally, 9-12 months is the projected timeline for a player to recover from a torn ACL. That could put Chubb in line to get back on the field in September, but a trip to the PUP List to begin the season wouldn’t be surprising.
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