The Miami Dolphins are getting a start on clearing up space ahead of the 2024 league year in an attempt to significantly improve their present salary cap situation.
Edge rusher Emmanuel Ogbah became a cap casualty for the Dolphins, with ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter reporting on Friday that the team plans to release the veteran defender.
Why Emmanuel Ogbah Is Getting Released
Ogbah first signed with the Dolphins on a four-year, $65 million deal following consecutive nine-sack campaigns in 2020 and 2021. He delivered that production for Miami after winning Super Bowl 54 with the Kansas City Chiefs.
Ogbah’s salary, however, made him expensive to keep in South Florida over the long run.
Ogbah’s release is expected to clear up close to $16 million in cap space for the Dolphins. That number represents a noteworthy dent in the team’s cap deficit, which PFN Dolphins insider Adam Beasley noted on Wednesday was a whopping $51 million.
“And that doesn’t even include the $21 million additional charge they would incur by franchising [defensive tackle] Christian Wilkins ahead of free agency,” Beasley wrote.
Beasley also noted Miami was in a situation where restructuring contracts wouldn’t necessarily clear the Dolphins from the red.
“It would just take cutting like a dozen players, including a number of starters on solid contracts,” Beasley said.
Ogbah’s release, as well as defensive back Xavien Howard’s, are the first of what could be several such moves. Ogbah spent most of his NFL career in a Dolphins uniform and compiled 24.5 sacks across his four seasons with Miami. He delivered 5.5 sacks in 2023 while playing in 15 games.
The Dolphins are now roughly $24 million over the cap as of Friday. But there’s another reason why the Dolphins decided to part ways with Ogbah.
Dolphins Likely To Prioritize Signing Andrew Van Ginkel
The decision to release Ogbah is tied to fellow linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel.
The breakout 2023 defender is now considered a high signing priority for Miami.
The fifth-year linebacker delivered a career-high six sacks while also producing eight total tackles behind the line of scrimmage. And, he stepped up after the Dolphins lost Jaelan Phillips to a devastating ACL tear on Nov. 24 versus the New York Jets.
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Van Ginkel is one of the Dolphins’ free agents ahead of the ’24 league signing period. He was originally signed to a four-year, $2.8 million deal as a rookie fifth-round pick in 2019.
Considering his late charge to end ’23, Van Ginkel managed to elevate himself into the category of a valuable piece of the team’s defense. With Ogbah on his way out, Van Ginkel’s chances of remaining in South Florida may well have increased.
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