DAVIE, Fla. — The Dolphins agreed to terms with Eagles running back Jordan Howard on Tuesday, adding a jolt to a previously listless position, and also agreed to terms with Chiefs defensive end Emmanuel Ogbah, further bolstering a defense that got major help on Monday’s first day of free agency.
Teams can’t sign players until the league year officially begins at 4 p.m. Wednesday, but Miami’s rebuild, under the direction of general manager Chris Grier and coach Brian Flores, is steaming ahead with aggressive, eye-opening acquisitions, especially on defense.
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Ogbah, 26, was a second-round pick by Cleveland in 2016 and spent his first three seasons with the Browns. He was traded to the Chiefs last year in exchange for safety Eric Murray and played 10 games before sustaining a season-ending torn pectoral muscle.
However, the offensive additions of Howard and guard Ereck Flowers (Washington) are also meaningful.
Howard, 25, rushed for 525 yards (4.4 yards per carry) and six touchdowns last season while being limited to 10 games due to a shoulder injury. But before that, Howard, a sixth-round pick by the Bears in 2016, was money. He rushed for 1,313 yards and six touchdowns as a rookie, 1,122 yards and nine touchdowns in his second season, and 935 yards and nine touchdowns in his third season. He was traded from Chicago to Philadelphia prior to last season.
Howard, who will reportedly get a two-year deal worth about $10 million, will compete for the starting job no matter what Miami does in the draft, which is deep at running back. Remember, Miami’s leading rusher last season was quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick with 243 yards. Howard will battle returnees Kalen Ballage, Patrick Laird and Myles Gaskin for a role in the Dolphins offense.
But defense is where Miami has made its most significant changes so far.
Ogbah, who reportedly gets a two-year deal worth $15 million with $7.5 million guaranteed, is coming off a season in which he tied a career best with 5.5 sacks. And he fits right in with Miami’s new collection of defensive ends, meaning he provides strength against the run as well as boosting the pass rush.
In an under-the-radar bonus, the defensive ends the Dolphins have acquired so far — Kyle Van Noy (New England), Shaq Lawson (Buffalo) and Ogbah — are collectively better against the run than the pass.
Pro Football Focus graded Ogbah 67.4 against the run and 62.6 against the pass, it graded Van Noy 85.4 against the run and 69.4 against the pass, and Lawson, the lone individual exception by a narrow margin, graded 62.1 against the run and 69.3 against the pass.
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The thinking at defensive end appears to be stocking the position with reliable veterans who are rotational pass rushers and then aiming to get a monster sack specialist through the draft. Or, perhaps Miami has a plan to acquire one in another fashion.
Whatever the case, the Dolphins seem to be addressing their run defense as much as their pass rush with these defensive end acquisitions, and it’s a sensible approach.
Miami was 27th in the league in run defense last season allowing 135.4 yards per game. The Dolphins faced 485 rushing attempts, third-most in the league, as teams didn’t hesitate to run right at their front seven.
Miami’s run defense brings back defensive tackles Davon Godchaux and Christian Wilkins, two youngsters with plenty of upside, and linebackers Jerome Baker, Raekwon McMillan and Vince Biegel, who all showed promise last season.
In Van Noy, Lawson and Ogbah, the Dolphins have added three guys adept at setting the edge — or turning the run back inside toward the pursuit — and putting pressure on the quarterback. They’ll join the primary returning defensive ends, Charles Harris and Taco Charlton, as Miami continues its search for answers at that position.
Of course, there’s a danger that the Dolphins are buying on the high side when it comes to Van Noy, Lawson and Ogbah and their pass-rushing abilities. Van Noy and Lawson both had career-best sack totals last season at 6.5, and Ogbah tied his career high. But their run defense is the insurance policy, the thing that guarantees each player should remain useful even if his sack total declines.
The other thing Miami gets with these defensive ends is versatility. Ogbah can jump inside to defensive tackle in certain situations, and Van Noy can play linebacker as well. With Miami being a “multiple” defense — it plays some 4-3 and some 3-4 — that type of versatility keeps players on the field for more snaps.
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On the back end of the defense, Miami added cornerback Byron Jones (Dallas) and made him the highest-paid in the league at his position with a five-year, $82.5 million deal with $57 million guaranteed.
Jones, who also has safety skills, will team with All-Pro Xavien Howard to give Miami a pair of lockdown cornerbacks.
Jones’ acquisition could allow Miami to shift safety Bobby McCain back to nickel/slot cornerback, his best position, further strengthening the secondary. Such a move could also add a boost to the developing pass rush because, theoretically, they’ll have longer to get to the quarterback with the formidable trio of Jones, Howard and McCain defending receivers. In that scenario, Miami could keep strong safety Eric Rowe, also a converted cornerback, at his current position and find a free safety.
Miami’s defense still has work to do at defensive tackle and linebacker, but the improvements are off to a good start over the first two days of free agency. Grier and Flores knew what they wanted in a number of areas and spent the money to get it. Whether the plan for rebuilding the defense works remains to be seen, but the Dolphins are taking an aggressive approach.
Having said that, it’s important to keep in mind the nature of free agency: History says that Lawson, Ogbah, Van Noy and Jones won’t all be successes. Jones needs to be a success more than the others because of his cost. But, in general, only about 50 percent of free agents turn out to be satisfactory, so Miami must face that reality about its newly acquired defensive ends as well as Flowers, Howard and safety Clay Fejedelem, who will be used mainly on special teams.
The Dolphins have about $55.8 million remaining for free agents, according to Overthecap.com, and about $18 million of that needs to go to its rookie pool. Still, they have enough money remaining to acquire one or two more starters and a few key reserves.
Even if the Dolphins devote the majority of their remaining free agent resources to the offense — they still need a left tackle and a center, for example — the work they’ve done on the run defense is off to a good start.
(Top photo of Jordan Howard: Bryan M. Bennett / Getty Images)