Arguably, the biggest need for the Miami Dolphins, among many, is the pass rusher position. At the start of free agency, Chop Robinson and Cameron Goode were the only edge rushers the Dolphins had under contract for 2026. There's still a lot of work to be done, but Miami has now added to the room, signing former Philadelphia Eagles pass rusher Joshua Uche to a one-year deal.
At the time of writing, the terms of the contract have not yet been disclosed, but in all likelihood, it's a prove-it contract for the 27-year-old. Uche is a former second-round pick out of Michigan, having been drafted by the New England Patriots in 2020. He broke out in 2022 with 11.5 sacks, but has failed to even come close to that level of production since then.
Given the lack of depth for the Dolphins at the position, Uche has a chance to come in and start, something he's done very little of throughout his career. At first instinct, this looks like a move to help revitalize himself into a significant payday for 2027 elsewhere, but there's an opportunity for this to turn into a long-term thing.
Miami Dolphins sign former Eagles pass rusher Joshua Uche
It's a homecoming for Uche, who played high school football at Miami Columbus. In 2020, ahead of the NFL Draft, Uche even told the Palm Beach Post's Joe Schad that he idolized former Dolphins great Cam Wake, so he's certainly happy to be back in South Florida to some degree.
As mentioned, Uche hasn't been very productive since his 2022 breakout campaign. However, last year with the Philadelphia Eagles, he did generate 23 pressures from 132 pass-rush snaps. It's a small sample size indeed, but a 17.4% pressure rate is at least worth a discussion.
From that vantage point, and simply because the Dolphins need a plethora of pass rushers still to fill out a roster, it makes a ton of sense to bring Uche in. Miami missed out on Kingsley Enagbare, who opted to sign with the New York Jets instead, and just watched their former edge rusher, Jaelan Phillips, get the bag with the Carolina Panthers. The Dolphins were right in not giving either player what they eventually signed for (not that they could even if they wanted to, given their cap situation), but it's slim pickings out there as a result.
The Dolphins will undoubtedly target edge rushers in the 2026 NFL Draft, and may even opt to do so in Round 1 if a player they like falls in their laps. Still, a veteran presence is necessary, even in a rebuild, so the Uche signing makes sense from both sides. Nevertheless, Jon-Eric Sullivan is far from completing this unit.