Dolphins Emmanuel Ogbah among elite disruptive defenders in NFL

Cameron Wake made the Miami Dolphins 91 a number all fans know. It is a number that just immediately calls to mind a disruptive defensive end who is terrorizing opposing defenders, flying off the ball, and screaming in to the offensive backfield, pulling down quarterbacks for monster sacks. Wake is a Dolphins legend.

The new number 91 in Miami is quickly establishing himself as a defensive force, ably wearing the number. A free agent addition this offseason, Emmanuel Ogbah has quickly become a player who can terrorize opposing defenders, fly off the ball, and scream in to the offensive backfield, pulling down quarterbacks for monster sacks. A 2016 second-round pick of the Cleveland Browns, Ogbah had 12.5 sacks in his three years in Ohio. He spent 2019 with the Kansas City Chiefs, where he tallied 5.5 sacks. In seven games in Miami, he already has a career-high six sacks this season. And, he is starting to get noticed among national analysts.

Using “Next Gen Stats” to take a look at the most disruptive defenders in the league through Week 8, Around the NFL on NFL.com writer Nick Shook ranked the top ten players. Ogbah claimed the tenth spot. Shook highlights the states that lead to Ogbah’s rating, listing, “26 disruptions, 11.6% disruption rate (225 pass rushes), 19 QB pressures, 8.4% QB pressure rate, 2 TOs caused on QB pressure, 2.7% sack rate.”

He then goes on to explain, “Emmanuel Ogbah is a sneaky pick who makes this list in part because the rest of the league needs to be made aware of his success. Now on his third team, Ogbah makes weekly — and sometimes game-changing — contributions. In Week 8’s win over the Rams, Ogbah produced a forced fumble that was returned for a touchdown, one of two turnovers caused on QB pressures by Ogbah this season. His six sacks place him in the top 10 in the NFL, and though his sack rate isn’t as high as some of those on this list, Ogbah is a key part of Brian Flores’ surprisingly effective defense. Folks in Kansas City and Cleveland might miss the Oklahoma State product, but Miami is happy to have him rushing the passer.”

One of the biggest needs for Miami coming into this season was the addition of a pass rush. It was rough in 2019, where it seemed opposing quarterbacks had a day-and-a-half on each drop back to throw the ball. In 2020, in large part because of Ogbah’s success, the Dolphins are getting to the quarterback, batting down passes, and simply disrupting everything an offensive aerial attacks attempts to do.

Miami seems to have found in free agency a gem of a player who is starting to get mentioned among the league’s elite.