The Dolphins could have another 2024 Jonnu Smith-type of breakout candidate on their hands, and it’s at a position of need
The Dolphins got a big year from one of their past free agent signings, and another could be poised to make another significant impact.
The Miami Dolphins have been, like any team in the league, hit or miss on free agent signings. Certainly one of the hits in recent years was tight end Jonnu Smith, who the team signed to a two-year, $8.4 million deal in the 2024 offseason.
Smith, with seven years entering his belt when he signed with Miami, was a known commodity at the time. A solid and relatively consistent player who could make plays in the passing game with a high floor, but with an unspectacular statistical career.
And where the Dolphins would have been without him in 2024 is hard to fathom. Smith put up career bests by a mile in targets (111), catches (88), and receiving yards (884) while matching a career high with eight touchdown grabs. With the Dolphins struggling to take the top off the defense, Mike McDaniel had to get creative to move the ball, and Smith had a career year as a result.
Could there be a similar type of late “breakout” waiting for a player on the Dolphins’ roster right now? There just might be.
Dolphins OLB Joshua Uche could be in for a big season in 2026
The Dolphins got a flat-out bargain when they reached a one-year $1,4 million contract with free agent edge rusher Josh Uche back in March. In order words, a prove-it deal. And Uche has shown in the past he’s able to put quarterbacks on their back when he’s on.
A second round pick of the New England Patriots in the 2020 NFL Draft, Uche’s best season came in 2022 with the Patriots, when he posted 11.5 sacks in 15 games. The thing is Uche has been almost exclusively a rotational player, with just four starts in 76 career games.
Uche showed flashes of upside last year for Philadelphia. Despite just one sack registered he generated 23 QB pressures in just 142 pass rushing snaps per Pro Football Focus, good for a solid 16.2% pressure rate.
The problem is Uche is more than 20 pounds lighter than any other edge rusher on the Dolphins’ roster at 226 pounds, which has contributed to his usage as a situational pass rusher.
But the Dolphins need help on the outside in 2026, and as things stand, Uche looks like the best bet at the moment to start the season opposite Chop Robinson. And the opportunity could present itself for the former Patriot to look a lot more like his 2022 self in South Florida this Fall.