The Miami Dolphins are looking for help any way they can scrape it together in 2026. They have a bunch of stop-gap, one-year veteran free agents and only a select few core players left over from the Mike McDaniel-Chris Grier era core.
Can any of them turn their one-year trial runs in Miami into new multi-year contracts to be a part of this epic Dolphins turnaround? Or is this destined to be a gaggle of revolving-door pickups who are eager to move on after a soft tank job?
One esteemed expert, whose columns are longer than terms and conditions agreements, highlighted one new Dolphin as someone to keep an eye on.
Bill Barnwell names Joshua Uche as Miami Dolphins' best signing in free agency
ESPN's Bill Barnwell never met a word count he didn't smash. Utilize the Ctrl/Command + F function, though, and you'll find that he had great things to say about Dolphins defensive end Joshua Uche's outlook:
"He produced 11.5 sacks and nine tackles for loss with the Patriots in 2022 and appeared to be on the verge of potential stardom, but it never really came together. [...] Uche is still only 27, and he has had success at one of the league's most important positions. Even in those limited snaps with the Eagles last year, Uche showed surprising power to drive tackles backward, especially given that he's listed at only 227 pounds. There probably isn't a superstar in the making here, but Uche could be a useful player if given the opportunity, both now and for several years to come. That's a good bet to make, especially given that he'll make just $1.4 million in 2026."
There's certainly room in Miami's rotation for Uche to make a splash. Past first-round pick Chop Robinson had a sophomore slump after a promising rookie campaign. David Ojabo was a second-rounder in Baltimore once upon a time who never put it all together, even more than Uche never put it all together, because at least Uche had an 11.5-sack season.
Rookie fourth-rounder Trey Moore is a bit of an odd player who had excellent production at UTSA in 2022-23 (35.5 tackles for loss, 22 sacks). However, by the end of his time with the Texas Longhorns, he was playing more as an off-ball linebacker and in the slot than on the defensive line.
Uche isn't really a hybrid player despite his alarmingly light weight for a standard defensive end. I can't see him carving out a role as a linebacker with Jordyn Brooks, Tyrel Dodson, and Jacob Rodriguez all in the mix there, plus Moore's versatility to flex there on occasion.
The front office and head coach Jeff Hafley evidently have a vision for Uche. Perhaps that double-digit sack season and Uche's fading into obscurity were reason enough to acquire him.
If it's possible for Uche to pack on some pounds and stay fresh in a 1-2 punch with Ojabo, whose superior bulk lends better to defending the run/setting the edge, perhaps Uche can fulfill Barnwell's prophecy as the Dolphins' best pickup. I can't really agree, though, given that Jalen Tolbert has a real chance to be Miami's WR1 after sliding down the depth chart in Dallas among the Cowboys' loaded receiving corps.
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