Miami Dolphins: Predicting defensive stat leaders for 2022

Miami Dolphins sack leader: Jaelan Phillips – 10.5

While solid, the pass rushing attack for the Miami Dolphins is not exactly on par with their elite cornerbacks or good interior line play. Emmanuel Ogbah is the veteran presence and leading sack-getter on the team, but he is not as feared by opposing quarterbacks as some of his peers on other defenses are.

He was tops on the team with 9 sacks in 2022 as Miami finished 5th in the league in total QB takedowns, but that number paled in comparison to the leaders on other teams. Nonetheless, Ogbah was signed to a contract extension that will keep him as a member of the Dolphins for the near future, and he will look to top his performance from last season.

But he could have some competition. While his rookie year can be best defined as streaky, Jaelan Phillips showed us glimpses of the skill set that made him the top pass rushing prospect in the 2021 Draft. Despite streaks of games in which he recorded no sacks and the announcers rarely called his name, he finished just a half sack behind Ogbah for the team lead with 8.5 takedowns. He even had a three sack game against the Panthers during Miami’s winning streak.

Can he continue his upward trajectory? If Phillips is able to have even two or three dominant games during a 17-game schedule, there is no reason to believe that he can’t lead the team in sacks during the 2022 season. He’ll finish with 11 total.