The Miami Dolphins were forced to scramble over the weekend. This is because fans were shocked to learn that veteran LB Shaq Barrett announced his retirement. As a result, Miami had to find someone to fill that position.
Now, reports coming out this morning reveal that the Dolphins may have already found a replacement for Shaq Barrett. Who is it? Read below to find out.
Miami Dolphins Signing Emmanuel Ogbah
According to NFL Insider Jordan Schultz, the Miami Dolphins are going to sign pass rusher Emmanuel Ogbah. This comes immediately after Barrett’s retirement and the Dolphins working out Ogbah yesterday.
It is a reunion for Schultz and the Dolphins since he played there the last four years. However, Miami seemed ready to move on from him after 2023, and he did not find a new home in that time. Ogbah had 24.5 sacks, an interception, and five forced fumbles during his Dolphins tenure.
Replacing Super Bowl Experience
One thing Shaq Barrett was going to bring to the Dolphins was legitimate Super Bowl experience. He has two Super Bowl rings, one of which he won with the 2020 Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Barrett had eight sacks and two forced fumbles during that regular season. However, he had an additional four sacks in four playoff games that season with the Buccaneers.
While Barrett played a more significant role in acquiring his Super Bowl ring, Ogbah has one of his own. He won his with the 2019 Kansas City Chiefs, one year before he came to Miami. However, Ogbah only had 5.5 sacks that season and played just 10 games.
Miami Dolphins Moving Forward
Admittedly, Ogbah is not quite the player that Barrett is. Nevertheless, he does bring something to the table that should make Dolphins fans sleep easier. That something is familiarity since he has been on the team for the last four years.
The Dolphins are gaining more and more expectations the further they get into head coach Mike McDaniel’s’ tenure. This will be his third season as head coach of the Miami Dolphins.
With this in mind, he has stressed the importance of winning a playoff game at minimum this season. One reason for this is because of how they finished last season, losing badly in the wild card round to the Kansas City Chiefs.
However, Miami has not won a playoff game since 2000. As a result, McDaniel is not letting his staff forget that it was been 24 years since the franchise has won. Now, the Dolphins will hope that the acquisition of Ogbah will help them snap this streak.
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