How Dolphins’ edge player outlook turned deeply concerning. Where things stand
A six-pack of notes and thoughts on the Dolphins’ edge rusher situation:
▪ Before last season, there was no position on the team that triggered more hope trafficking (from players, fans and media) than the team’s group of outside linebackers.
Players spoke excitedly about the intoxicating possibilities of a package with Bradley Chubb, Jaelan Phillips and Chop Robinson on the field at the same time. That could be perhaps the best pass-rushing trio in the league, at least one player said.
And what team wouldn’t want a player as accomplished as Matthew Judon (who has 72 career sacks) as its No. 4 rusher?
If the Dolphins would be able to do anything well last year, certainly it would be rushing the passer. At least that seemed so in August.
But like many things with the Dolphins this century, reality didn’t measure up to the vision. Miami’s 39 sacks ranked 16th in the league, and the Dolphins were badly hurt by their inability to turn several pressures into sacks.
Phillips couldn’t take down Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert in a turning-point moment of the season and was sent to Philadelphia for a third-round pick. Chubb had a solid season (8 ½ sacks) but his contract is now highly problematic for a team well over the salary cap.
Judon had no sacks and didn’t make a single memorable play in 13 games and 337 defensive snaps before being released in December. And Robinson regressed after a six-sack rookie season; his pass-rush moves weren’t as effective and his run defense remained an issue.
Which leads to the question…
▪ Is Robinson even a long-term starter on a good team? Or he is going to be a situational pass rusher and No. 3 or 4 edge player?
If the answer is the second, then add another big need to the long list of Dolphins needs.
Robinson’s season was worrisome because he didn’t put heat on the quarterback nearly at the level he did as a rookie.
In 2024, his 21% pass rush win rate was the highest by a rookie since Micah Parsons in 2021.
This season, he finished under 9%, outside the top 100 of all NFL edge rushers.
As a rookie, he had 56 quarterback pressures in 344 pass-rushing snaps.
This season, that dropped to 19 in 241 — an unacceptable number for an edge player unless you’re a dynamo against the run, which Robinson isn’t.
As a comparison, Chubb had 48 pressures in 393 pass-rushing snaps and Phillips 32 in 181 before his trade to the Eagles.
Among 115 qualifying edge players, Pro Football Focus ranked Robinson’s overall performance 103rd of 120 edge defenders.
He had just 10 solo tackles (21 overall) and four sacks in 417 defensive snaps.
▪ So why the regression? Robinson isn’t sure.
He described his season as “up and down. I had to deal with a lot of injuries this season [including two concussions]. Having to deal with that was different. I was healthy my whole career. I’m glad it happened. It was a learning experience. I know what I’ve got to do: just get better this offseason.”
Asked what he must do specifically to improve, he said: “Staying healthy. Take the bad, improve on that.”
Does he need to prove to the team that he can be a good NFL starter?
“I’ve mainly got to prove it to myself,” he said. “I don’t really got to prove it to anybody but myself.”
Asked if he needs to develop another pass-rush move, he didn’t answer directly but said he faced “a lot more” chipping by offensive players than he did as a rookie.
▪ As for Chubb, he finished 20th in the league in sacks (8.5), and his 48 pressures ranked 28th among edge rushers. (By comparison, Phillips had 73 pressures between his Dolphins and Eagles tenures this season.)
Chubb is a well-respected leader and as talented a player as anyone on the defense.
But PFF ranked him 92nd of 120 edge players against the run and 103rd overall.
Miami is obviously better with him, especially at a position that has gone from one of the league’s better groups (on paper) to one of the worst.
But can the Dolphins realistically afford his contract unless he surprisingly agrees to another pay cut?
It’s hard to imagine the Dolphins retaining Chubb at his current 2026 numbers. His current contract carries a $19.4 million salary next season (all nonguaranteed) and a $31.2 million 2026 cap hit.
If they cut or trade him, the cap hit is $23.8 million before June 1 — or $10.9 million after June 1, with the remaining $14 million of the cap hit applied to Miami’s 2027 books.
Chubb would be a potential post-June 1 cut, because the cap savings of releasing him would jump from $7.3 million to $20.2 million after that date.
▪ Don’t hold out much hope that any of the other late-round or undrafted edge rushers on the roster will suddenly become starter-quality.
Quinton Bell, who had six pressures and no sacks in 57 pass-rushing chances, could be perhaps a competent No. 4 edge player, but expecting more is unrealistic.
Derrick McLendon has some upside, but nobody is expecting him to be a rotation player next season.
And though Cameron Goode has tremendous value on special teams, the pass-rush skills he showed at California haven’t translated to the pros in limited chances.
He had just two pressures in 52 pass-rushing snaps this season, and he has no sacks in 196 career defensive snaps.
▪ Here is how former defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver, who was named the Ravens’ defensive coordinator on Tuesday, assessed Goode: “Cam’s effort all year has been consistent. Defensively, you know two things about him: He will be where he needs to be, doing what he needs to do.
“And he’s going to play with his hair on fire. You can feel that when you watch the tape. He can still add a little bit of weight and strength, so he can be a little stouter in the run game and make his pass rush a little more effective if he had a bigger threat of power.
“It’s hard to consistently win with just finesse edge moves if you don’t have elite talent. He has talent. But there are very few like Von Millers, Derrick Thomas, Lawrence Taylors, even Dwight Freeney.”
Bottom line: The Dolphins need to add at least two rotation edge rushers this offseason — three if Chubb is jettisoned.
Here’s a look at edge rushers in the Dolphins’ first-round draft range.
This is one of a series of pieces focusing on incumbent Dolphins players and position groups.
Here’s an examination of what the Dolphins really have with Grant, Jordan Phillips and Zeek Biggers. Here’s a piece on the future of Jonah Savaiinaea after a disappointing rookie season and a cruel irony.
Here’s a piece on the Dolphins’ tight end situation.
This story was originally published February 10, 2026 at 4:21 PM.
