Dolphins need low-priced edge players: Exploring options. And personnel news
How do you preview free agency for a team with practically no cap space and is beginning a major rebuild? It isn’t easy. We’ll attempt to do that with several positional stories in the coming days. But keep in mind that the cap-strapped Dolphins might end up spending only the league minimum — or barely more — to fill holes at several positions. We start with defensive ends (Miami needs more of those if it employs a 4-3 scheme as Green Bay often did) and edge rushers.
In a year, the Dolphins have gone from employing one of the most talented group of edge players to one of the least accomplished.
By moving on from Bradley Chubb — months after trading Jaelan Phillips and realizing Matthew Judon was a shell of his old self — Miami must rebuild a room that features arguably only one NFL rotation player (Chop Robinson, who has much to prove).
The challenge is this: How do you find established pass rushers on an extremely low budget to supplement whoever’s drafted in a room featuring Robinson and three young veterans who are fringe roster players (Quinton Bell, Cam Goode, Derrick McLendon)? You probably don’t, at least not this year.
During the next two years, the Dolphins need to find two impact edge rushers, likely in the draft.
But they will probably need a cheap veteran or two to handle some snaps this season.
There are 45 edge defenders who are set to become unrestricted free agents in March, per spotrac.
Because the cap-strapped Dolphins are in no position to bid for high-end talent, forget Cincinnati’s Trey Hendrickson, the Chargers’ Khalil Mack, the Bills’ Joey Bosa, Atlanta’s Leonard Floyd, Baltimore’s Dre’Mont Jones, Tennessee’s Arden Key, the Bengals’ Joseph Ossai, Buffalo’s AJ Epenesa, Detroit’s Al Quadin-Muhammad, the Colts’ Kwity Paye, the Chargers’ Odafe Oweh and Atlanta’s Arnold Ebeketie.
Spotrac projects all 12 of those players to command between $8 million and in Hendrickson’s case, $25 million, if he hits the market. Also forget K’Lavon Chaisson (7.5 sacks for the Patriots).
So that leaves about 30 options, some of which are journeymen and many of whom (including Seattle’s Boye Mafe) will still be too expensive for a Dolphins team with barely any cap space, pending more roster moves.
Those players can be placed into three buckets:
▪ Mid-20s players who could be affordable if GM Jon-Eric Sullivan and Dolphins executive Brandon Shore create the cap room (and this might be unrealistic):
There’s one obvious name on the list because he was drafted and developed by the Packers: Kingsley Enagbare, who’s coming off his rookie contract. New Dolphins coach Jeff Hafley coached him as Green Bay’s defensive coordinator the past two seasons.
The former fifth-round pick out of South Carolina started seven games as a rookie, four games the next season, seven games in year three, and just three this season. He’s a very good run defender but a mediocre pass rusher (11.5 sacks in four seasons).
The 6-4, 258-pound Eganbare played between 468 and 511 defensive snaps (42 to 47%) in each of his four seasons.
PFF rated him 76th among 118 qualifying edge players this past season — better than Chubb (100) and Robinson (101).
Spotrac.com projects he’s in line for $5.9 million next season. Even that would be pricey for Miami, though certainly not out of the question.
Azeez Ojulari would be worth a conversation; he had 22 sacks in five seasons but didn’t play much for Philadelphia early last season and went on injured reserve with a season-ending hamstring injury Nov. 1. If he settles for a bargain-basement deal, he’s worth considering.
There’s perhaps more to be extracted from Chris Rumph, who had 47 tackles and two sacks in 17 games as a Saints backup, after three years with the Chargers.
Josh Paschal — who had 21 tackles and two sacks in 14 games and 10 starts for the Lions — could be a cheap rotation player.
Sam Williams, a 2022 second-rounder, had 37 tackles and a sack in 17 games and five starts for Dallas. Perhaps there’s more to extract there.
The Raiders’ Malcolm Koonce (4.5 sacks in 17 games and three starts) is another stopgap option.
Joe Tyron, the former first-round pick, had 22 tackles and no sacks in 16 appearances as a backup for Chicago and Cleveland. He’s a backup at this point.
Cam Thomas, a former third-round pick of Arizona, had 28 tackles and 2.5 sacks as a backup for Cleveland.
Michael Clemons, a former fourth-round pick, had a sack in 16 games and six starts for the Jets. PFF rated him 83rd of 118 edge players.
Bottom line from this group: Enagbare would make sense considering the history with Sullivan and Hafley.
Ojulari has shown enough where there could still be starter potential. But if the Dolphins only want to spend minimum money, Enagbare would seem out of reach.
▪ NFL middle-age types (think ages 28, 29, 30, 31) who can still help and won’t be too costly:
Would Miami even want any of these players to provide a steady veteran hand and mentorship in a young room? That must still play out.
Haason Reddick has the biggest name in this group but he has declined at 31; he had 2.5 sacks and 31 tackles in 13 games and 12 starts for Tampa Bay. PFF rated him 97th of 118 edge rushers.
Derek Barnett would be the better option; he had five sacks as a 17-game backup for a loaded Houston defense. The former Eagles first-round pick is still effective at 30. PFF rated him 64th of 118 edge players last season — far ahead of Dolphins players Chubb and Robinson. He could be too costly.
Charles Omenihu is also worth considering; he had 28 tackles and 3.5 sacks as a 17-game K.C. backup. PFF rated him 78th of 118 edge players.
Samson Ebukan, 30, missed all of 2024 with a torn Achilles tendon after a 9.5-sack breakout season in 2023. He was mediocre last season (33 tackles, two sacks, in 14 games and one start).
Dante Fowler Jr., 31, went from 10.5 sacks for Washington in 2024 to three sacks for Dallas last season in 13 games and 11 starts. But he was solid against the run and PFF rated him 20th of 118 edge rushers. He’s probably too expensive for Miami.
Dietrich Wise, 31, has 34 sacks in nine years but is coming off a Week 2 season-ending quad injury. That should drive down his price.
Among others who could be stopgap edges: Yetur-Gross Matos — who had 4.5 and 4 sacks in 2023 and 2024 — but played just 158 snaps for the 49ers last season… Dawuane Smoot (two sacks in 17 games off the bench for Jacksonville). PFF rated him the NFL’s fifth-worst edge player last season.
If any of these players fall through the cracks and need to take the minimum, they could be one-year stopgaps to surround a group with rookies, young cheap fringe veterans (like Bell) and Robinson.
▪ Old players who remain functional rotation players:
Among players in this group is Houston’s Denico Autry, a 35-year-old with 3.5 sacks as a reserve last season… It’s difficult to envision a Dolphins reunion with 34-year-old Kyle Van Noy (20 tackles, two sacks in 15 games and 13 starts for Baltimore)... A third Dolphins tenure for 32-year-old Emmanuel Ogbah (half a sack in 15 games for Jacksonville) also would seem a stretch.
Odds are that the Dolphins edge rusher group will include Robinson and at least one player drafted in the first three rounds and one or two others added later in the draft process. Beyond that, it’s all guesswork, with no money to spend and Miami simply trying to get through the early stages of a rebuild.
Here’s an in-depth look at where Robinson stands after a disappointing second season.
News notes
In his weekly segment on WSVN 7 Fox, agent Drew Rosenhaus offered Dolphins-related updates on three clients:
1). Safety Minkah Fitzpatrick has not requested a trade. Rosenhaus did not want to discuss whether trade talks are ongoing (as Jordan Schultz reported).
2). The Dolphins indicated in releasing Tyreek Hill that they want to get younger, Rosenhaus said. There was no discussion of him returning at lower salary.
3). The Dolphins have not approached Zach Sieler about a restructure or pay cut from his $16 million salary, and he’s expected to be part of the team next season, Rosenhaus indicated.
Milestone reached
The Dolphins announced that the Dolphins Cancer Challenge (DCC) has raised more than $100 million, with all of those funds earmarked toward supporting life-saving cancer research and care at Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, part of the University of Miami Health System and the Miller School of Medicine.
The annual event will be held on Saturday at Hard Rock Stadium.
Now in its 16th year, the DCC has grown to become the largest annual fundraiser in the NFL; tens of thousands have run, walked or ridden bikes in support of the mission. Since its founding in 2010, the DCC’s impact has helped elevate Sylvester to Florida’s only National Cancer Institute (NCI)–designated cancer center, placing it among the nation’s elite institutions for cancer research and care.
This story was originally published February 23, 2026 at 12:07 PM.
