Dolphins Matt Burke has a lot of new toys for his defense

Defensive ends

2017 – Andre Branch, William Hayes, Cameron Wake, Charles Harris, Terrence Fede

2018 – Branch, Hayes, Wake, Harris, Robert Quinn

The only real change came at the expense of Terrence Fede who was not re-signed. Fede was a solid back-up but he was lost in the shuffle with the Dolphins rotation of top defensive end talent.

The addition of Robert Quinn via trade was huge. Quinn is a top quality starting defensive end who can set the edge and rush the passer. Miami also brought back William Hayes who was a top performer against the run last season.

Quinn is especially valuable to the Dolphins as he has linebacker experience. The Dolphins will be able system fit him into their defense in multiple looks. This is the best talented defensive end unit the Dolphins have had in years since the Wake and Jason Taylor tandem.

The question will be who will take over the starting job opposite Wake? Wake will likely see some sort of rotation as the Dolphins still plan to reduce his workload to keep him fresh late in the games. Quinn is the obvious choice to start opposite Wake but Andre Branch was paid a lot of money last off-season, still he is a popular choice to be traded despite the cap hit.

Overall this unit should be as good and more than likely better than they were in 2017.