It may sound like a cliché, but when Emmanuel Ogbah said he chose to return to the Miami Dolphins on the eve of training camp because of “unfinished business” to tend to, one believes the 6-foot-4, 275-pound hulking, soft-spoken Nigerian.
Ogbah, 30, won’t admit it, but he must have been stunned when the Dolphins unceremoniously released him last February to open up $13.7 million of cap space, two years after giving him a four-year deal worth $65 million.
Judging by the outside linebacker’s first two practices in shorts and no pads, Ogbah was all business. He notched a probable sack and multiple quarterback pressures to earn the prized orange jersey on Day Two. This jersey is given to the player who excelled in the previous practice, making it a significant achievement for Ogbah.
“I came in with a mindset, I want to be better,” Ogbah said. “I want to improve this team, so that’s the mindset coming into training camp. I had all the time in the world to get ready, mentally prepare, physically prepare, just to get ready for this season. I didn’t know where I was going to be, but I’m just happy to be here.
“It came down to two teams, and I picked Miami because I feel like [I have] unfinished business here, so that’s why I’m excited to be back.”
Ogbah earned that lucrative contract with consecutive nine-sack seasons, 45 quarterback hits, and 51 solo tackles, including 15 for losses, for Miami.
However, after nine games, a torn triceps muscle ended his 2022 season, and he saw his snaps drop dramatically in a rotational role while healing last year.
His production dropped to 6.5 sacks, 16 quarterback hits, and just four tackles for losses in the last two seasons. He was inactive down the stretch in Games 14 and 15, which is not a good sign.
The Dolphins finished third in sacks last season with 56, one behind the Super Bowl champions Kansas City Chiefs and four behind the Baltimore Ravens. The Bills were fourth, and Cleveland was sixth. The Bills and Ravens won their divisions, with Baltimore reaching the AFC Championship game. The Browns were 11-6 in the regular season. Get the drift?
The Dolphins didn’t re-sign the pass-rushing free-agent duo of defensive tackle Christian Wilkins and linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel (combined for 15 sacks), but they brought in 37-year-old, six-time Pro Bowl defensive end Calais Campbell and drafted edge-rushing linebacker Chop Robinson in the first round to bolster the pass rush.
Miami signed two-time Pro Bowl outside linebacker Shaquil Barrett (59 career sacks), but the 31-year-old ex-Buc shockingly retired four days before camp opened, leaving $6.75 million on the table.
With the ongoing rehabilitation of injured edge linebackers Bradley Chubb, Jaelan Phillips, and Cameron Goode, general manager Chris Grier felt a sense of urgency for another pass rusher.
The local call went to Ogbah, who lives in nearby Davie, so they signed him to a one-year deal at a reported $3.1 million with $2 million guaranteed. So far, coach Mike McDaniel is thrilled with what he’s seeing from Ogbah.
“I just got little goosebumps there because it was cool to see the timing of things,” McDaniel said. ‘You just know when a player is a free agent for any amount of time, there’s uncertainty so you’re thinking through all the different scenarios and he gets here and then it wasn’t charity to give him that orange jersey. It was one of, if not, the best practice that I’ve seen from him since I’ve been here and there was a level of focus, a level of concrete certainty of his assignment and he came out hungry.
“And whatever he’s drinking in the morning – might be a little fountain of youth in there – it was exciting. But you know the coolest thing about situations like that, is you learn a lot about people just by observing the reaction of teammates. And when I tell you, everyone, when they found out that he was the orange jersey, was juiced. And then all he did with that, is I think he ran 19 miles an hour yesterday at practice wearing that orange jersey.”
Ogbah enjoys the versatile freedom of first-year Dolphins defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver’s schemes.
“I don’t have a specific spot, so I’m everywhere on the d-line or outside linebacker, so I’m just ready to play whatever that need is,” he said.
Dolphins safety Jevon Holland is happy to have his “dawg” back.
“He gets to just get to the quarterback,” Holland said. “Like my rookie year, he had like 14 [pass breakups], so I’m excited for him.
Actually, Jevon, it was 12 PBUs in 2021.
“I love [his] success, for sure,” Holland continued. “I wasn’t necessarily surprised [the Dolphins re-signed him]; I was excited. Like he should be here. He’s a hell of a player, so I’m just glad he’s back.”
Ogbah is also thrilled to be back.
“I honestly wouldn’t have believed it, but I always knew I was going to be back here eventually,” Ogbah said. “Like I said, I have unfinished business here, so that’s what I’m ready to take care of here.”
A persistent reporter tried to find out exactly what that business was.
“Unfinished business,” he said. “We’ll see.”
If his serious face could talk, his business most likely involves fitting another finger with a Super Bowl ring to bookend the bling he earned with the 2019 Chiefs.
Source link : https://www.si.com/nfl/dolphins/news/ogbah-has-unfinished-business-with-dolphins-01j3syrb0nf5
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Publish date : 2024-07-27 10:30:00
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