Dolphins re-sign Emmanuel Ogbah after Shaq Barrett’s sudden retirement

The Miami Dolphins found themselves in a tough spot when Shaq Barrett, whom they had signed on the free agent market earlier this offseason, suddenly decided to retire. The Dolphins’ front office responded by quickly bringing in several veteran pass rushers for workouts, including Emmanuel Ogbah.

Ogbah spent the past four seasons with the Dolphins, and while his role diminished during his time with the team, he was a strong veteran presence on defense who could get to the quarterback. After getting the hang of his training, Miami decided to bring him back to town, and they eventually signed Ogbah to a one-year contract worth up to $5 million on tuesday morning.

Dolphins bolster pass rush by bringing Emmanuel Ogbah back to town

Ogbah had two of the best seasons of his career in 2020 and 2021 with the Dolphins, but he played in just nine games in 2022 and saw his role diminish in 2023. He still managed to collect 5.5 sacks last year, but Ogbah struggled to make the same impact he had earlier in his tenure with Miami.

The team isn’t necessarily asking him to become a superstar, though. They just need a player who can attack the quarterback in passing situations, and that’s exactly what Ogbah can do. He’s probably not the same caliber as Barrett at this point in his career, but his familiarity with the Dolphins’ defense should help him pick up where he left off.

You can never have too much depth on the defensive line, and Miami’s front office did well to quickly replace Barrett after his abrupt retirement. For the price, there’s not much not to like about this deal, and if Ogbah can put together another season in which he collects at least five sacks, this move would be a huge win for the Dolphins’ defense.

Owen Crisafulli is the Senior Editor and NFL Lead at ClutchPoints, which also covers the NBA and MLB. He recently earned his Masters in Business Administration from Nichols College. He previously earned a Bachelor’s degree in Sport Management, ran his own website, and had bylines at FanSided and the Basketball Network.