Can the Miami Dolphins add a pass rusher in free agency?

Can the Miami Dolphins add a pass rusher in free agency or will they use some of their draft picks to improve this obvious weakness?

The Miami Dolphins have a lot of needs this offseason to address and the NFL draft will be anything but boring according to the football media and just about everybody in Miami. With all the hoopla surrounding the first 5 picks of this year’s NFL draft, let’s not forget the many areas of concern for this Miami Dolphins franchise.

So, I think it’s a foregone conclusion that the first pick for the Miami Dolphins this year in Las Vegas is going to be a quarterback and I have absolutely no issue with that. They need to draft the future QB of the franchise and if you think that future is already on this roster, you are sadly mistaken, he is coming this year, like it or not!

That brings me to some of the other gaping holes on this roster. If you look at the current roster two positions stand out like a porcupine in a nudist colony, defensive end, and offensive line. I completely understand that there are other holes but these two are glaring needs that must be addressed immediately this year, via the draft and or free agency.

More from Phin Phanatic

Let’s look at what Miami currently has at the defensive end position on its roster. There is Taco Charlton, Charles Harris, Jonathan Ledbetter, and Avery Moss, and at this point, you’re probably saying, ouch! It is not pretty and most definitely not the most productive group.

What does the 2020 free-agent class look like, and are there any options for Miami at the edge rusher position? Here are some of the top free agents at that position available.

Jadeveon Clowney, who has been recently linked to the Baltimore Ravens wish list. The Miami Dolphins tried to obtain his services last season and Clowney said he did not want to play for the Miami Dolphins and went on to sign a year deal with Seattle. I’m going to say that option is dead.
Shaquil Barrett, who is likely to resign with the Tampa Bay Bucs, especially after proclaiming he was willing to take less money to remain with the team, but an interesting note is one of the first things he talked about is there is no tax where he currently plays….hmmm.
Yannick Ngakoue, a solid defensive end that is looking to get paid after two good seasons with the Jags. Ngakoue will probably resign with Jags or at least get franchise tagged by the team, who really can’t afford to let him walk out of the building, either way, it appears that he may stay with his current team.
Dante Fowler, who enjoyed an outstanding year with the LA Rams and another player looking for a huge payday. Fowler has been linked to Atlanta Falcons and specifically head coach Dan Quinn who was his college coach when he was a freshman at Florida, but the Falcons are probably not in the right financial position to outbid someone for his services.
Arik Armstead, excelled this year for the Forty-Niners and could be in demand for a lot of teams. This is a tricky evaluation because he wasn’t very productive in his first four seasons and this last season he finally broke out. Still, not sure the Forty-Niners let him leave or will they throw the tag at him.
Bud Dupree, enjoyed a career season for the Steelers, but not sure he leaves Pittsburg, he was a first-rounder for the Steelers in 2015. Ownership, along with head coach Mike Tomlin, have both been quoted as saying he was the team’s top priority to retain.
Matt Judon, had a solid year for the Baltimore Ravens and is looking to get paid for it, should draw a lot of interest from several teams, but his price tag will not be cheap. Rumors are flying that the Ravens are shopping the high-priced defensive end and could tag him to give the team enough time to strike a deal. The Jets are a team that keeps getting linked to Judon as a trade partner.

There are a few more players that could be of interest like, Chris Jones of the Kansas City Chiefs, Shaq lawson of the Buffalo Bills, Benson Mayowa of the Las Vegas Raiders and Vic Beasley of the Atlanta Falcons.

So, some stellar big-time players are available but it appears that most of the teams understand what they got and will try to keep their productive pass rushers, but we will see. I would love for the Dolphins to make a push for something at this position, one of these guys would be an improvement over what they have now, but options will be limited.

If the Miami Dolphins cannot come to terms with any of these high-profile free agents then they will need to turn their heads toward the NFL draft and make a splash there. If they want to move this franchise forward they will need some legitimate pass rushers to take the pressure of a very young secondary and help their young talented defensive tackles shore up that run defense.

Home/Dolphins News