Dolphins return stout D-line that could prove pivotal for defensive success in 2022

With defensive end Emmanuel Ogbah re-signing with the Miami Dolphins, the critical component of the team’s defensive front that was potentially in flux this offseason was instead solidified.

The Dolphins, like they’re set to do in the secondary, are returning their defensive linemen from a defense that anchored the team’s midseason turnaround to rebound from 1-7 with eight wins in their last nine games of 2021.

The defensive front returns its sack leader in Ogbah (nine). Versatile defensive lineman Christian Wilkins is back after a breakthrough third NFL season in 2021, as are defensive tackle Zach Sieler and nose tackle Raekwon Davis. Outside linebacker Jaelan Phillips, entering his second season, also can flip between standing up and putting his hand in the ground, which is what he did best at the University of Miami in 2020 to make him a first-round pick.

While virtually set with a rotation up front that will also incorporate Adam Butler, the Dolphins could figure to possibly add another defensive lineman on Day 3 of the draft, especially given the need for another pass rusher. Miami’s first pick, after trading away first- and second-round selections in the upcoming draft, is at the end of the third round, while it also has a fourth-round pick and two seventh-rounders to use.

Ogbah’s four-year, $65 million deal was struck in the final minutes leading up to free-agent negotiations with other teams opening up on March 14. In an offseason where the Dolphins also traded for star receiver Tyreek Hill and signed prized free-agent tackle Terron Armstead, it’s a move that may go down as the team’s most underrated.

Beyond Ogbah’s sheer pass rush, collecting nine sacks each of his two seasons in Miami, he has found ways to impact the opposition’s passing game in various ways. More often, he’s just missing a sack and hitting a quarterback anyway — posting 45 quarterback hits in the past two seasons combined — and he actually led NFL defensive linemen in passes defensed in 2021, with 12.

Wilkins was tied for the NFL lead in tackles among defensive linemen last season as he made a significant leap in his third professional season after being a 2019 first-round pick out of Clemson.

Sieler, a former Baltimore Ravens seventh-round pick who has excelled in Miami since he was picked up off on waivers at the end of the 2019 season, had another productive season in 2021. He had 62 tackles, six for loss, and two sacks, playing nearly half of the Dolphins’ defensive snaps.

Davis, the big 6-7, 330-pound body inside, was uneven at times last year in his second campaign, but his return from missing three weeks after an opening-series knee injury in Week 1 gave the Dolphins’ run defense a major boost. Davis finished with 28 tackles and half a sack.

Butler came to Miami after being known in New England as a 295-pound lineman with pass-rushing ability, but he only contributed two sacks last year as a rotational player. He had 10 the previous two years combined with the Patriots.

Jenkins returns a veteran presence that can provide depth at the nose with his 335-pound frame. He collected 16 tackles in seven games in 2021 but was inactive for more than half the season.

The Dolphins also have defensive end Daeshon Hall and defensive tackle Benito Jones as players who can compete for a roster spot in training camp. Jones was just re-signed.