The Dolphins did not draft a tackle and entered draft weekend planning to run it back with Austin Jackson as their starter. The team is, however, backstopping the former first-round pick with veteran options.
After agreeing to terms with five-year Patriot Isaiah Wynn, the Dolphins announced Monday they are signing Cedric Ogbuehi. Now the third former first-rounder in Miami’s right tackle equation, Ogbuehi received his Jets walking papers last week despite having re-signed with the team in April.
Considering the issues the Dolphins encountered at tackle last season, the team’s eagerness to add depth at this position is understandable. Miami played 15 games without Jackson, who suffered an ankle injury in Week 1 and never recovered. The team signed longtime left tackle Eric Fisher, but the veteran sustained an injury before suiting up in a game for the Dolphins. The Fins primarily used in-season addition Brandon Shell at the position; Shell is unsigned.
Although Shell expressed interest in another Dolphins contract, per the Miami Herald’s Barry Jackson, the AFC East club is going with Jackson, Wynn and Ogbuehi. Two of these three will likely end up on Miami’s roster—one as a starter opposite Terron Armstead and the other as the swing tackle—while the third could be the odd man out. Given Ogbuehi’s history, he should be expected to have the longest odds at cracking Miami’s 53-man roster.
A former Bengals first-round pick, Ogbuehi has now been aligned with multiple teams in each of the past three years. He played for both the Seahawks and Ravens in 2021, joined the Jets off the Texans’ practice squad last year and has now hopped to a second AFC East team in the past two weeks. The Jets’ Billy Turner signing moved Ogbuehi, 31, off the roster.
The Jets experienced a run of tackle health trouble as well last season, leading to the team needing to go beyond swing depth to fill starting spots. Injuries to Mekhi Becton, George Fant Duane Brown, Alijah Vera-Tucker and Max Mitchell led to the likes of Ogbuehi and fellow in-season Jets pickup Mike Remmers seeing time. After Vera-Tucker went down with a torn ACL in October, Ogbuehi started five games. Of course, Ogbuehi also ran into injury trouble—a groin malady—and missed a chuck of stretch-run time. Though, the eight-year veteran did return and start at right tackle in the Jets’ season finale in Miami.
The Dolphins will kick the tires on the Texas A&M alum, who spent time in ex-Mike McDaniel coworker Mike LaFleur‘s offense last season. While Ogbuehi has not lived up to expectations, he is closing in on a decade of NFL service time. The 35-game starter will attempt to stick with the Dolphins, who will probably be interested in stashing tackles on their practice squad as well.
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