Dolphins waste no time to fill needs at DE, running back as free agent negotiations begin
Within an hour of the start of the NFL’s legal negotiating period Monday, the Miami Dolphins already filled two of their biggest needs for the offseason.
Their top defensive end is returning to South Florida.
Their glaring hole at running back, one they have struggled to fill for the better part of three years, might finally be gone.
By the end of the day, they’d even added some needed depth at wide receiver and one of the best backup quarterbacks in the league as insurance for oft-injured starter Tua Tagovailoa.
The Dolphins are giving new coach Mike McDaniel some of the pieces he needs to get Miami back to the NFL playoffs.
About 10 minutes before teams could begin negotiating contracts with other teams’ free agents, the Dolphins agreed to a four-year deal with defensive end Emmanuel Ogbah, agent Drew Rosenhaus said. Less than an hour later after the window opened at noon, Miami reached an agreement for a two-year deal with running back Chase Edmonds, Rosenhaus said.
Later in the day, the Dolphins also reached a one-year deal with quarterback Teddy Bridgewater and three-year deal with wide receiver Cedrick Wilson, ESPN reported.
Ogbah can officially sign his contract at any time. Bridgewater, Edmonds and Wilson won’t be able to sign his until Wednesday at 4 p.m. when free agency officially begins.
Ogbah, 28, broke out with nine sacks in each of the last two seasons with the Dolphins and will make $65 million across the next four years with $32 million guaranteed. Edmonds, 25, averaged 4.7 yards per carry across the past four seasons with Arizona Cardinals and is coming to Miami Gardens on a deal worth $12.6 million with $6.1 million guaranteed.
Although he only started 11 games last year, Ogbah was the Dolphins’ most productive edge rusher and has quietly been one of the most productive in the NFL since he got to Miami ahead of the 2020 NFL season with 119 total pressures.
Edmonds also started 11 games last season in his first year as a primary starting running back and his 5.1 yards per attempt ranked 10th in the league among players with at least 100 carries.
Both are poised to start for the Dolphins next year.
Dolphins keep top priority Ogbah
Miami has been trying to make sure it could hang on to Ogbah for months. On March 3 at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, general manager Chris Grier said the Dolphins have been talking with Rosenhaus about the defensive lineman “all throughout the course of the season” as they tried to sign him to an extension.
There was no hard deadline to get a deal done, but other teams could start talking with Ogbah at noon Monday. A few minutes before then, Rosenhaus said the two parties had a deal in place to keep Ogbah in Miami.
While they never explicitly labeled Ogbah their top priority, the Dolphins made it clear they wanted him back long-term by negotiating with him throughout the year and opting not to use their franchise tag on him, instead seeking out a multiyear contract.
“We’re going to do our best to get him,” McDaniel said March 2 at the Combine. “It’s the same thing you have to do every time you have situations such as these: You have to be able to adjust if you’re unable to keep him, but our hope is that that is not the case.”
Ogbah and tight end Mike Gesicki, 26, were Miami’s two biggest impending free agents, and now both are slated to be back after the Dolphins tagged Gesicki on Tuesday to keep him for one year at $10.9 million — he signed the tender Monday. The tag for a defensive end was $17.9 million, so Miami saves a little bit of short-term money while also keeping Ogbah around for years to come.
As good as he has been in the last two seasons, Ogbah went to another level last year when he became the first player since 2017 to record at least 20 quarterback hits and 10 passes defended in a single season. In 17 games, he recorded 41 tackles, nine sacks, nine tackles for loss, 24 quarterback hits, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery and 12 passes defended — tied for 22nd in the league and three more than any other defensive lineman.
Dolphins — finally — get running back
The Dolphins’ other big move of the day was splashy mostly because of the position Edmonds plays.
In 2019, Miami’s leading rusher was quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick with 243 yards. In 2020, it was running back Myles Gaskin with 584. Last year, it was Gaskin again, averaging just 3.7 yards per carry.
The Dolphins haven’t had a 700-yard rusher since Frank Gore in 2018 and haven’t had a 1,000-yard rusher since former running back Jay Ajayi in 2016. Edmonds isn’t the type of player to just pencil in for those kind of marks — he has never run for 600 yards in a season — but he’s a high-upside addition in a position group desperately in need of some explosion.
In his fourth season last year, Edmonds was a starter for the first time, starting in 11 of 12 games — injuries kept him out for five — and setting career highs in rushing yards, carries, yards per carry and yards from scrimmage.
He finished his breakout year with 116 carries for 592 yards and two touchdowns, plus 43 catches for 411 yards with one fumble.
With 5.1 yards per carry, Edmonds ranked 10th in the NFL among players with at least 100. If Edmonds can build off what he did last year, Miami might finally have a bona fide No. 1 tailback.
Dolphins add needed offensive depth
The Dolphins wrapped up the day with two smaller signings, but both Bridgewater and Wilson have serious starting experience, and may well be counted on to start next season.
Bridgewater started 14 games for the Denver Broncos last season and went 285 of 426 for 3,052 yards, 18 touchdowns with seven interceptions, plus 30 carries for 106 yards, two touchdowns and one fumble. Considering Tagovailoa has missed time with four different injuries in the last three years, it was important for Miami to find a good backup and Bridgewater fits the bill. Bridgewater will be guaranteed $6.5 million, a source told the Herald. He can be paid up to $10 million based on playing time, the Sun-Sentinel reported.
Wilson started four games for the Dallas Cowboys last year and caught 45 passes for 602 yards and six touchdowns. He’s on a three-year deal worth up to $22.8 million with $12.8 million guaranteed, and could compete to start opposite fellow wide receiver Jaylen Waddle.
Dolphins add with special-teamer
At the end of the day, Miami made one final addition, agreeing to a three-year deal with cornerback Keion Crossen.
The defensive back is best known as a special teams ace. His deal is worth $10.5 million, ProFootballNetwork.com reported.
This story was originally published March 14, 2022 at 4:27 PM.
