Emmanuel Ogbah has a chance to silence his Dolphins doubters

Ever been in a situation where you felt like the outcast?

Or better yet, the person who was tagging along with a group, but didn't exactly know if your presence was wanted, welcomed, or valued?

If you know that feeling then you'll be able to relate to how Miami Dolphins defender Emmanuel Ogbah has felt all season being on the outside looking in at Vic Fangio's defense.

Because of a scheme change that utilized more athletic edge rushers, players who can drop back into pass coverage on any given down, instead of traditional 3-4 ends, Ogbah has gone from NFL starter, and the Dolphins sack leader for two seasons (2020 and 2021) to a seldom used backup.

Ogbah expressed frustration last week

While he's put on a brave face all season, Ogbah let his frustration show last Sunday when he was a healthy scratch for Miami's 56-19 loss to the Baltimore Ravens.

 Miami's coaches decided to play Melvin Ingram, a 12-year veteran signed to the practice squad three weeks ago, over Ogbah.

Upon learning he'd be inactive Ogbah put up a social media post that read "WOW. Lol," and he never hid the fact it was about his playing status.

"It was tough," Ogbah said about last week's benching. "It is what it is. But I'm excited for opportunities. Whatever they need me to do I'm ready to do it. And I've been ready all year."

Making matters worse, or at least complicating it, is the fact that Ogbah is the Dolphins' highest paid player when it comes to base salary and cash paid out ($15.35 million) in 2023.

Ogbah's aware he's on the chopping block because all the guaranteed money has concluded in his contract after Sunday night's game against the Bills.

Cutting Ogbah creates cap relief

The Dolphins are $41 million over the projected cap for 2024, and releasing Ogbah as a June 1 cut would clear $15.8 million in cap space ($13.8 million without the June 1 designation), so it’s the easiest decision the franchise can make to tighten payroll this offseason.

That means opportunity Ogbah is give in Miami's base defense, every play he takes, will have an impact on this 30-year-old's future earnings.

That's why it doesn't help that he's played exactly 200 snaps on defense all season.

“[I've got to] have the same mentality I’ve had every game. Just trying to make the most of my opportunities," said Ogbah, who is concluding his eighth NFL season.  “Every time I get an opportunity I have to go show out."

Ogbah has contributed 15 tackles, five sacks, intercepted one pass, produced eight quarterback hits, forced one fumble and deflected two passes in his 200 defensive snaps.

That's 17 impactful plays (excluding tackles) in 200 snaps. Scrubs don't do that.

His productivity means Ogbah's relatively impactful every time he gets into games, which is often in mop-up duty of games where Miami has substantial leads. 

Fangio forced to change the scheme?

But Fangio admitted on Thursday he has to alter his play calling and possibly the game plan because Ogbah isn't as skilled at dropping back into coverage like a traditional edge player in a 3-4 scheme.

That's why Fangio seemingly favors Ingram, and will likely use him as Chubb's replacement, lining him up against the opposition's left tackle.

"It's going to be by committee, for sure," Fangio said when the loss of Chubb. “(Ogbah) is a good pass rusher for the most part. Mel’s a little more well rounded in the OLB position, the ability to drop and stuff like that."

McDaniel justified Ogbah being inactive last week on him coming back from a hamstring injury the previous week. But Ogbah participated in every practice of that week without any limitations.

Now, with Chubb out of the lineup, and Miami down to four edge players, it's hard to imagine Ogbah not getting involved against the Bills, and carrying a heavier workload in the playoffs.

"I know (Emmanuel) Ogbah and ‘Mel’ (Melvin Ingram) are thirsty for the challenge," McDaniel said. "We’ve depended on [Ogbah] and he’s come through in a bunch of ways all season. He’s tough minded and I think he’s got his energy focused in the right direction, which is, ‘okay, well, this opportunity is the only opportunity."