Dolphins Adding Veteran Pass Rusher Barrett

Barrett brings depth at a position that very much needed it

Finding an edge defender to add depth and play a big role early in the season was a major priority for the Miami Dolphins this offseason, and they found at least one potential answer Tuesday in form of Shaquil Barrett.

The team has agreed to terms with the former Denver Broncos and Tampa Bay Buccaneers starters, as first reported by Jordan Schultz of Bleacher Report.

Barrett will come to Miami after spending the past five seasons with Tampa Bay, where he twice was a Pro Bowl selection, including the 20109 season when he led the NFL with 19.5 sacks.

Barrett's sack numbers dropped dramatically the past two seasons after his second Pro Bowl season of 2021, as he finished with 7.5 sacks in 24 games, including 4.5 in 16 games last year.

He was released late last month in a cap-driven move, so his signing will not have any impact on the Dolphins' compensatory pick projections.

The 31-year-old Barrett entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent with the Broncos out of Colorado State in 2015 and has 85 career starts on his resume.

His career highlight was a three-sack performance against Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers in the 2020 NFC Championship Game to help Tampa Bay advance and eventually give Tom Brady his seventh Super Bowl title.

The Barrett deal is for one year and up to $9 million, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. Barrett is coming off a four-year contract with the Buccaneers that was worth $68 million, according to spotrac.com, after he played under the franchise tag in 2020.

THE DOLPHINS' MAJOR NEED ON THE EDGE

Barrett will become the one established veteran edge defender on the roster not rehabbing a major injury when his signing becomes official Wednesday, underscoring the importance of his addition.

As all Dolphins fans know, Jaelan Phillips (Achilles) and Bradley Chubb (ACL) both are rehabbing serious injuries sustained late last season and their status for the start of the 2024 season is dubious at best.

The other edge defenders are Cameron Goode, who is rehabbing from a major knee injury sustained in the season finale against Buffalo and two future contract players with limited or no NFL experience, Quinton Bell and Zeke Vandenburgh.

The logical outlook for Barrett at this time would be for him to start at the beginning of the season and then settle into a rotation with Chubb and Phillips once both of them are back in the lineup.