Grading the move: Dolphins address major roster hole with a former nemesis coming off a sneaky-good season
The Dolphins got a player with solid results in a limited role last year.
The Miami Dolphins went into the offseason with no shortage of work to do and roster holes to plug on both sides of the ball. One of those was an area of strength in the not-so-distant past with their edge rushing room.
Jaelan Phillips and Bradley Chubb are both gone, with the Dolphins looking at a starting duo of Chop Robinson and either Cameron Goode or Derrick McClendon, which, across from Robinson, doesn’t project a confident duo going into the season. Quinton Bell, an unrestricted free agent, would also make sense to bring back as a depth option at the right price.
In any event, a once-strong group now looks anything but, and improving their edge rushing room was essentially going into free agency and the draft.
While they didn’t land a big fish on Monday, they did make a move on Wednesday with a player who showed promise in a reserve role last season.
Per Adam Schefter, the Dolphins reached an agreement with former Eagles OLB Joshua Uche on a one-year deal.
Dolphins to sign former Eagles EDGE Joshua Uche, who flashed in a limited role with Philadelphia in 2025
Uch is a player whose name that many Dolphins fans might recognize. Uche started off his career with the New England Patriots, who selected him in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft out of Michigan.
Uche spent his first 4.5 seasons with the Patriots before getting traded during the 2024 season to the Kansas City Chiefs. His best statistical season came in 2022 with New England. In 15 games as a reserve edge, he totaled 11.5 sacks with 27 total tackles and nine tackles for loss. He also had a stellar 19.6% pressure rate (56 pressures in 285 pass rushing snaps) year.
Last season in Philly, he appeared in 12 games with one sack, but he generated 23 pressures in just 142 pass rushing snaps for a strong pressure rate of 16.2%.
Grade of Dolphins’ acquisition of Uche (pre-numbers): A-
I’m putting up this grade with a caveat, as the financials haven’t been announced yet. But, on its face, the Dolphins are getting a player with the floor of a proven solid situational pass rusher.
The only question I have is if he can produce as a starter, because across his six-year career, he has started in only four games. That’s not a given that someone can make that jump from career reserve to starter this far into a career.
But, especially given their cap concerns, the Dolphins have to find players who can get into opposing backfields where they can, and Uche has proven that’s something he’s done consistently in recent years.
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