Brady’s exit shifts balance of power in AFC East, and Dolphins are making their move
Dolphins fans have been here before.
They’ve been falsely sold hope for so long, they’re jaded by any good news.
Another offseason championship? There’s not enough room in the display case for another one of those trophies, the joke goes.
But make no mistake, cynics:
This week has been a hugely consequential two days for the Miami Dolphins, with seismic changes that could we might ultimately view as when the Patriots’ reign ended and the Year(s) of the Dolphin began.
The Dolphins continued their free agency winning streak Tuesday, adding three more potential starters — running back Jordan Howard, linebacker Kamu Grugier-Hill and defensive end Emmanuel Ogbah — to the three they signed Monday.
But that was a distant second in significance to the news out of New England: Tom Brady announced that he is leaving the Patriots after 20 incredible seasons.
Brady’s decision to sign reportedly with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers not only ended an era of unprecedented dominance for the Patriots, it suddenly made the kings of the AFC East vulnerable after 11 consecutive division championships.
Granted, even with Brady’s exit, the Dolphins aren’t the favorites to win the East. They’re still one of the five longest shots to win the Super Bowl — 100-to-1, same as the Jets, who have done next to nothing in free agency.
The Bills were a playoff team in 2019 at 10-6. But their defense took a hit this week when Shaq Lawson agreed to a deal with the Dolphins and Jordan Phillips did the same with the Cardinals. And, yes, trading for Stefon Diggs should help quarterback Josh Allen in Year 3, but the Bills gave up four draft picks to get him, including their first-rounder.
Plus there’s no denying that Miami is one of the most improved teams in the league this offseason. Based on Pro Football Focus’ wins above replacement improvement index, just the Colts, Cardinals and Giants have done more to better themselves in free agency. The Patriots, meanwhile, have gotten noticeably worse, the index found.
What’s more, the Dolphins have made all these improvements before the draft. They have 14 picks and will use premium ones on a quarterback and at least one offensive tackle.
Those are really the team’s only two glaring remaining needs after a flurry of moves this week.
The latest three: Howard, Grugier-Hill and Ogbah.
Howard, who agreed to a two-year, $10 million contract, gives the Dolphins a veteran who has rushed for 3,895 yards, on 4.3 yards per carry, in his first four NFL seasons.
Drafted in the fifth round in 2016 out of Indiana, he spent the first three years of his career with Chicago, rushing for 1,333, 1,122 and 935 yards. He made the Pro Bowl as a rookie, when he averaged 5.2 yards per carry.
Last March, the Bears traded him to Philadelphia for a sixth-round pick. He ran the ball 119 times in his one season with the Eagles, averaging 4.4 per carry. He also caught 10 passes for 69 yards.
Howard (6-0, 224 pounds) rushed for 30 touchdowns and caught two touchdowns in his four seasons. He has five career fumbles and has lost three.
Howard, 25, was a starter for the Bears but started only four of the nine games he played for the Eagles last season.
He missed all but one snap in the final eight games last season — and Philadelphia’s playoff game — with a shoulder injury. He was actually cleared to play in the final two games, including the playoff games, but didn’t get a carry.
With Miami, he likely will be the lead back or 1A.
Miami also has interest in several of the top running backs in this draft, particularly Ohio State’s J.K. Dobbins and Georgia’s D’Andre Swift, according to a source. Running back remains an option for Miami with the 26th pick in the draft.
Kalen Ballage, Patrick Laird and Myles Gaskin will also compete for a roster spot.
The Dolphins never seriously pursued free agent Melvin Gordon.
Meanwhile, the Dolphins added another contender to start in 25-year-old Grugier-Hill, who started 10 games for the Eagles in 2018 and six games last season.
A special teams standout, Grugier-Hill had 23 tackles for the Eagles last season and 98 in his four-year NFL career, all with Philadelphia. He has one career interception (against Eli Manning) and one career sack.
The Patriots selected Grugier-Hill (6-2, 230 pounds) in the sixth round of the 2016 draft out of Eastern Illinois but released him before the start of the season. Philadelphia claimed him off waivers three days later, and he spent four seasons there.
He missed the final two games last season with a lower lumbar disk herniation.
Grugier-Hill, who ran a 4.47 in the 40-yard dash coming out of college, joins Kyle Van Noy, Lawson and Ogbah as Dolphins’ front-seven additions in free agency.
Ogbah decided Tuesday to sign a two-year, $15 million deal with the Dolphins — with $7.5 million fully guaranteed — according to his agent, Drew Rosenhaus.
Ogbah appeared in 10 games for the Super Bowl champion Chiefs in 2019, recording 32 tackles and a career-high 5 1/2 sacks. He missed the Chiefs’ playoff run with a torn pectoral.
At 6-4 and 275 pounds, Ogbah has the build to play both defensive end and defensive tackle in Brian Flores’ multiple system.
Ogbah was the 32nd pick in the 2016 draft, selected by the Browns. Cleveland traded him to Kansas City before the 2019 season.
Ogbah was born in Nigeria and moved to the United States with his family at the age of 9.
He joins an defensive line that now includes four players selected in the top 35 of the draft. The others: Lawson, Christian Wilkins, Taco Charlton and Charles Harris (although Harris and Charlton could find their spots on the roster in jeopardy after the latest flurry of moves).
This story was originally published March 17, 2020 at 7:23 PM.
