The Miami Dolphins spent a significant amount of money this offseason trying to upgrade their defensive talent — and they’re starting to see some of the results of their efforts. Miami was close to bottling up MVP candidate Russell Wilson if not for some rookie mistakes from young cornerback Noah Igbinoghene. But elsewhere on the Dolphins defense, the investments are starting to take shape. One such standout is defensive end Emmanuel Ogbah, who has steadily improved for the Dolphins over the course of his last three games — and played his best football game of the season in Week 4 against the Seahawks.
Ogbah’s presence off the edge has been notable over the last two weeks — he’s logged two sacks over his last three games and logged a solo finish against Wilson in the pocket on Sunday. In all, Ogbah logged 5 total tackles, 2 tackles for loss, 1 sack and 2 additional quarterback hits in Week 4.
This is a great development for the Dolphins, especially when you consider where his wins have come: off the edge. Ogbah had success against Jawaan Taylor against Jacksonville, slicing off the left side of Miami’s defense to disrupt Gardner Minshew and once again against Seattle offered disruption against Brandon Shell. If Ogbah’s continued disruption continues, he’ll prove to be well worth the 2-year contract and $15M the Dolphins inked him for this past offseason.
Ogbah has been a late bloomer since entering the NFL but appeared poised to make a big leap in 2019 with the Chiefs before injury interrupted his season. Now, he’s got a chance to take the next step with the Dolphins instead — and with him in need of a long-term contract still, he’ll be plenty motivated to play his best football in Miami. The Dolphins will be plenty happy to see it continue, and he’ll get a prime test this upcoming week against the San Francisco 49ers and former 1st-round pick Mike McGlinchey to make his next statement.
Much like the rest of the Dolphins, steady progress is a welcomed sight. And Ogbah has indeed shown it over the first four games of the year.