Examining free agent solutions to fix Miami Dolphins’ front seven shortcomings
One of the remarkable things about the Dolphins winning five games this past season was their ability to do it with a shaky front seven that was largely responsible for the team’s poor run defense (27th in the league) and league-worst sack total.
Figure on defensive end, defensive tackle and outside linebacker all being addressed in free agency and the draft.
In part 2 of a 3-part series, we size up free agent options at those positions:
EDGE DEFENDERS
The Dolphins will be looking for two types of defensive ends/outside linebackers: agile players in the Vince Biegel/Andrew Van Ginkel mold, who can play outside linebacker and bulkier ones (like Christian Wilkins) who can rush the passer and play the run and play end or tackle. Both are high priorities.
Wilkins figures to remain an end when Miami plays a 3-4. Biegel and Van Ginkel are young, cheap, promising edge players who could be rotational pieces.
And the first two rounds of the NFL Draft are deep in ends (Iowa’s AJ Epenesa, Penn State’s Yetur Gross-Matos, Notre Dame’s Julian Okwara, UF’s Jabari Zuniga) and outside linebackers (Clemson’s Isaiah Simmons, LSU’s K’Lavon Chaisson, Boise State’s Curtis Weaver, Wisconsin’s Zach Baun).
Barring a trade, the Dolphins have three picks in the first round, two in the second and likely one in the third, and figure on them using one or two of those picks on those types of players.
But the Dolphins would be taking a risk by entering the draft without spending on at least one legitimate edge player in free agency, with the need to add skilled run stuffers every bit as important as finding pass rushers.
There are at least a couple dozen starting-caliber edge players who are potential unrestricted free agents who would be upgrades for Miami.
The 49ers and Chiefs presumably will do what it takes to keep elite pass rushers Arik Armstead and Chris Jones, with the franchise tag in play for both; as a result, we didn’t place them on this list. And Tampa Bay will assuredly will keep Shaquil Barrett from getting away after a 19.5 sack season; Pro Football Focus warns that he’s going to get overpaid after one breakout season. And Baltimore is expected to place the franchise tag on Matthew Judon if it doesn’t reach a longterm deal.
Beyond those four names, here are the most intriguing defensive end/outside linebacker options, while keeping in mind that even though the Dolphins have $100 million in cap space, they say they will be judicious in spending:
1) Patriots’ Kyle Van Noy. He played outside linebacker this season after playing primarily inside in his first five seasons, including in 2018 under Dolphins coach Brian Flores when Flores was New England’s de facto defensive coordinator.
He had 57 tackles and 6.5 tackles last season and recently told NBC Boston: “Everything’s on the table. I’m looking obviously to get paid a lot. I’ll just leave it at that.”
2) Jacksonville defensive end Yannick Ngakoue (eight sacks, four forced fumbles, six passes defensed last season and 37.5 sacks in four seasons). He improved against the run this past season but is still pretty average in that area, according to analytics sites.
He appears eager to explore free agency: “I have been here for four years and I’ve learned a lot,” he said recently. “Business is business and I’m not sure what the future holds.” There’s already speculation that Jacksonville could tag him and trade him.
Someone is going to pay him a lot of money. But I question if the Dolphins will because he’s not a high-level run defender.
3) Seattle defensive end/outside linebacker Jadaveon Clowney. The Dolphins like him but he already rejected a trade here in August. But Seattle won’t franchise him, and the Dolphins could reach out again. He had three sacks, four forced fumbles and an interception in 13 games, with his sack total down from nine each of the previous two years.
4) Los Angeles Rams’ defensive end/outside linebacker Dante Fowler Jr. He had 11.5 sacks and two forced fumbles and would be costly but a major upgrade. The Rams face tough decisions with their cap space.
5) Patriots’ Jamie Collins. Was with the Browns during Flores’ year as Patriots de facto coordinator but returned to New England last season and had a very good year (seven sacks, 81 tackles and three interceptions) as a three-down linebacker. The Dolphins hope Jerome Baker can become as impactful as Collins.
6) Kansas City’s Emmanuel Ogbah. The former Browns starter missed the last six games and the postseason with a right pectoral injury but had 5.5 sacks in 10 games last season and 18 in four seasons.
7) A dozen other interesting potential unrestricted free agents available among defensive ends or outside linebackers: Denver’s Derek Wolfe (had seven sacks and a forced fumble and the girth at 285 pounds to play end in a 3-4 or defensive tackle), Pittsburgh’s Bud Dupree (11.5 sacks, four forced fumbles), Carolina’s Mario Addison (9.5 sacks and 29.5 over the past three seasons)...
The Lions’ Mike Daniels (a bulky run-stuffing end/tackle who was a Pro Bowler two years ago and just 31 but had injury issues the past two seasons); the Giants’ Leonard Williams (age 26; 302-pounder is stout against the run and but has just 0.5 sacks for the Jets and Giants last season and has never become the dominant player some expected, though he’s worthy of consideration at the right price)...
Shaq Lawson (came off the bench for Buffalo but had 6.5 sacks and would be a big upgrade here); Atlanta outside linebacker/defensive end Vic Beasley (age 28; 15.5 sacks in his second season but just five, five and eight the past three years)...
Tampa Bay defensive end and South Florida native Jason Pierre-Paul (8.5 sacks in just 10 games); end/linebacker Jabaal Sheard (the 30-year-old former Patriot and Hollywood Hills alum had 4.5 sacks for the Colts) and Philadelphia veteran Vinny Curry (5.5 sacks).
And this is important: Among those aforementioned players, the ones who graded out best against the run this year, per Pro Football Focus, were Van Noy (fifth), Clowney (10th), Fowler (20th), Dupree (21st) and Pierre-Paul (23).
Finding better edge setters is a huge priority, and all five are good pass rushers to boot, making them expensive commodities.
On the flip side, Addison and Beasley and Sheard graded out poorly against the run, which would lower their value here. Ngakoue graded out toward the bottom against the run, but there has been growth there and he’s still potentially appealing because he can be so disruptive in the passing game.
Two interesting under-the-radar names: Oakland’s Benson Mayowa (seven sacks, three forced fumbles as a Raiders backup) and Green Bay’s Kyler Fackrell, who had 10.5 sacks in 2018 but just one last season.
At defensive end, I’m not sure there’s a single returning Dolphin who will be a regular rotation piece next season beyond end/tackle Wilkins, though Jonathan Ledbetter and end/tackle Zach Sieler will be given a long look. Taco Charlton and Avery Moss are underdogs to make the team.
DEFENSIVE TACKLES
Besides Wilkins and Davon Godchaux, another defensive tackle who’s stout against the run and can get in the opponent’s backfield is clearly needed.
Ndamukong Suh (been there, done that), Tampa’s Gerald McCoy (five sacks) and the Rams’ Michael Brockers are the biggest “name” tackles. Buffalo’s Jordan Phillips obviously isn’t returning here after a 9.5-sack season for the Bills.
But there are a bunch of capable free agent starters available, some of whom would be more impactful than Godchaux as a 3-4 nose tackle. Godchaux is entering the final year of his contract and was solid but had just two tackles for loss in the first 15 weeks and then two more in the finale.
That group of unrestricted defensive tackle starters includes Pittsburgh’s Javon Hargrave, Houston’s D.J. Reader, New Orleans’ David Onyemata, Dallas’ Maliek Collins, Carolina’s Vernon Butler (six sacks) Denver’s Shelby Harris (six sacks), Baltimore’s Michael Pierce, Detroit’s A’Shawn Robinson, Seattle’s Jarren Reed, Cincinnati’s Andrew Billings, Philadelphia’s Tim Jernigan (nine starts last season) and Tampa backup Beau Allen.
I would keep an eye on Reader, a 347-pounder who also played some in a 3-4 and played for Dolphins defensive line coach Marion Hobby at Clemson. He started 15 games for the Texans last season and had 36 quarterback pressures, demonstrating that he’s more than simply a run-stopper.
Hargrave also has proven he’s more than a run-stuffer, with 49 QB pressures last season.
And starters Pierce or Onyemata would be a very good get. Pierce has rated among the league’s best run-stoppers at defensive tackle over the past three seasons. Onyemata has been a key piece of a Saints defense that was very good against the run.
Reed is intriguing in that he had 10.5 sacks two years ago before dropping to two last season. He would be a helpful rotation piece who probably wouldn’t cost too much.
And keep in mind New England’s Danny Shelton; he played for Flores in 2018 and became a starter for the Patriots last year after starting earlier in his career in Cleveland. Another Patriots tackle, Adam Butler (six sacks) is an impending restricted free agent; every other non-Dolphin mentioned in this piece is eligible for unrestricted free agency.
No one is suggesting to dump Godchaux, but the Dolphins do need to add a quality tackle/end who could share snaps with him and Wilkins.
The question, though, is whether Miami would spend anything more than modest money at the position with more pressing needs elsewhere (edge players, left tackle, cornerback). I would spend at defensive tackle, because Miami was vulnerable up the gut last season, as well as (obviously) on the edge.
LINEBACKER BEYOND EDGE PLAYERS ALREADY NOTED
At linebacker, Jerome Baker, Raekwon McMillan, Van Ginkel and Biegel are very likely to be on the team in 2020, with Baker and McMillan both showing the ability to play inside and outside.
Sam Eguavoen played well with more pass-rushing chances late in the season but played sparingly in the finale at New England.
At least three more linebackers likely will be added. Trent Harris showed promise in the final two games and warrants a longer look. Charles Harris doesn’t appear to have a future here, though he’s under contract for 2020.
Inside linebacker isn’t a glaring need, with the Rams’ Corey Littelton, Chicago’s Danny Trevethan, Baltimore’s Patrick Onwausor, the Jets’ Darron Lee and Jacksonville’s Myles Jack headlining that deep group and Miami likely in no position to spend big money there.
Here’s part 1 of our series exploring offensive linemen options in free agency.
Coming Wednesday: A look at Dolphins’ cornerback options in free agency.
Here’s my Tuesday Canes 6-pack.
Here’s my Tuesday Heat 6-pack.
This story was originally published February 25, 2020 at 9:08 PM.
