Dolphins Edge Status: Group on the Mend

Examining where the Miami Dolphins stand at each position heading into free agency

The Miami Dolphins are coming off what overall could be considered a successful season, which ended with an 11-6 record and a second consecutive playoff appearance, but there is work to be done for the team to reach the next level.

The major first step in the roster-building process will be free agency, which will kick off with the start of the new league year March 13 after the Dolphins go over their season-ending roster and decide how to proceed at each position moving forward.

With that in mind, we examine where the Dolphins stand at each position heading into free agency, with contract status of each player, a quick review of the 2023 performance and an analysis of what to expect in the offseason.

We continue with the edge defenders.

MIAMI DOLPHINS EDGE DEFENDERS IN 2023

On the roster: Bradley Chubb (ended season on IR), Jaelan Phillips (IR), Andrew Van Ginkel (IR), Cameron Goode (IR), Melvin Ingram, Justin Houston, Bruce Irvin

2023 season: As you can see by the number of players who ended the season on injured reserve, that unfortunately was the big story of the 2023 season. Phillips had it the worst of all because he not only landed on IR first, but he also had to deal with back and oblique injuries at the start of the season. When he got right, though, he was playing some great football until he tore an Achilles on Black Friday. Chubb also became an impact player for the Dolphins in his first full season before he tore an ACL at Baltimore in Week 17. Van Ginkel began the season playing inside but became a valuable contributor on the edge after the injuries hit, only to go down with a foot injury in the season finale. Ingram has marginal production after joining the team in December, while Houston and Irvin were signed to the active roster for the playoff game at Kansas City, even though they ended up being outplayed in that game by fellow veteran late acquisition Malik Reed, who was elevated from the practice squad.

Stats that stand out: Chubb joined DL Zach Sieler as the first Dolphins player to reach double digits in sacks since Cameron Wake in 2017. ... Chubb tied for the NFL lead with Tampa Bay safety Antoine Winfield Jr. with his six forced fumbles. ... Phillips was on a run of five consecutive games with at least a sack at the time of his Achilles injury. ... Van Ginkel set career highs in sacks (6) and passes defensed (8).

THE OFFSEASON AMONG THE EDGE DEFENDERS

Contract status: Van Ginkel, Ingram, Houston and Irvin are scheduled to become unrestricted free agents. Chubb is signed through 2027. Phillips is about to enter the final year of his rookie contract, though the Dolphins have until May to exercise his fifth-year option. Goode is signed through 2024.

Notable pending free agents around the NFL: Danielle Hunter, Minnesota; Chase Young, San Francisco; Za'Darius Smith, Cleveland; Josh Allen, Jacksonville; Jadeveon Clowney, Baltimore; Leonard Floyd, Buffalo

Offseason outlook: The Dolphins are in a tricky spot here because there's a definite chance that neither Phillips nor Chubb will be ready for the start of the 2024 season, but they're front-line players when in the lineup. Van Ginkel has said he'd like to return, but he's also not going to turn his back on a better opportunity on the free agent market and the Dolphins aren't going to get him back as cheap ($2.6 million) as they did in 2023. Exercising the fifth-year option on Phillips seems like a no-brainer. The best guess here is the Dolphins will bring a free agent or two, but it won't be a high-priced, big-name veteran.

Van Ginkel Makes Goal Clear for Free Agency