The Miami Dolphins have quietly built a fearsome front seven
Edge Defenders
| Player | Year |
|---|---|
| Vince Biegel | 2019 |
| Jonathan Ledbetter | 2019 |
| Andrew Van Ginkel | 2019 |
| Tyshun Render | 2020 |
| Emmanuel Ogbah | 2020 |
| Jason Strowbridge | 2020 |
| Brennan Scarlett | 2021 |
| Shaquem Griffin | 2021 |
Since Cam Wake left Miami after the 2018 season, the Dolphins have lacked a dominant pass rusher. Emmanuel Ogbah had an extremely productive season in 2020, but he faded down the stretch and was never quite as dominant as his raw statistics would indicate. Andrew Van Ginkel was extremely efficient, but didn’t have enough pass rushing snaps to land on the league’s radar.
Must Read. Who is the best edge rusher for the Miami Dolphins?. light
Just because this group didn’t have an elite standout in 2020, doesn’t mean they won’t in 2021. Jaelan Phillips hasn’t played a single NFL snap, but has the most potential of the group to be a dominant force. With that said, any three of them could have breakout campaigns. That is because they all have impressive athletic profiles. Some positions rely heavily on athletic prowess, and edge rusher is one of those.
| Event | Ogbah | AVG | Phillips |
|---|---|---|---|
| Height | 76.25″ | 75.5″ | 77″ |
| Weight | 273 lbs | 241 lbs | 260 lbs |
| Arm | 35.5 | 32.5 | 33.25 |
| Vert | 35.5 | 38 | 36 |
| Broad | 121 | 123 | 125 |
| 40 | 4.63 | 4.59 | 4.56 |
| 3-cone | 7.26 | 6.89 | 7.01 |
| shuttle | 4.58 | 4.14 | 4.13 |
| Bench | 20 | 17 | 21 |
Length, explosiveness, and agility are all extremely important for edge rushers to succeed and they each have those qualities in varying degrees. Van Ginkel isn’t as tall or long, but has insane agility and explosive strength. Ogbah is bigger than Van Ginkel and Phillips, but also doesn’t move as fluid. These aren’t the Charles Harris or Andre Branches of the world (no disrespect to those players), these guys can really get after it and have the athletic profiles to succeed at a high level.
Outside of the top three guys, this group has a ton of depth. Vince Biegel figures to be a regular contributor after having a breakout season in 2019, before an Achilles injury prematurely ended his 2020 season. Shaquem Griffin and Brennan Scarlett were both free agent additions from earlier in the offseason and have both performed well in camp. Jason Strowbridge was a fifth round pick in 2020 and Jonathan Ledbetter was a undrafted free agent that began the 2019 season in the starting rotation before an injury ended his rookie year.
Not all of these players are going to make the active roster, but this is still going to be a deep group with varied skill sets. If one (or more) of these edge rushers takes a step forward, it could be a really special group in 2021.
Film: Van Ginkel’s varied pass rush techniques
Film: All of Ogbah’s 2020 sacks
Film: Phillips 2020 highlights