Former Ravens Pro Bowl Pass Rusher Signs With AFC Foe

The 10th-year veteran came into the league with the Ravens as a fifth-round pick in the 2016 NFL Draft out of Grand Valley State and spent the first five years of his career in Baltimore. He led the team in sacks and earned his first couple of Pro Bowl bids in his last two seasons wearing purple and black.

An individual matchup that should be fun to watch when Judon's new team squares off with his old one this year is if and when he lines up across from two-time Pro Bowl left tackle Ronnie Stanley. The two seasoned pros were part of the same draft class, with Stanley going No. 6 overall in the first round, and they ascended to prominence at the same time as well, with both making the Pro Bowl for the first time in 2019.

As is the case with a handful of edge rushers whom the Ravens have drafted and developed over the past decade and a half but had to let walk because of cap constraints, Judon's pass rush production exploded after he departed in free agency. He recorded back-to-back double-digit sack seasons with the New England Patriots from 2021 to 2022, setting new career-high totals and going to the Pro Bowl in each season.

Judon was off to another hot start to the 2023 season with four sacks in the first four games before a torn biceps injury he suffered ultimately ended up requiring season-ending surgery. The Patriots moved on from him last August following a contract dispute and traded him to the Atlanta Falcons, where he recorded 5.5 sacks and nine quarterback hits in nine games.

In Miami, the 33-year-old will be reunited with fellow former Ravens late-round gem, defensive tackle Zach Sieler, who didn't make the team as a rookie in 2018 but has since established himself as one of the best all-around interior disruptors in the league. Judon joins a deep edge defender depth chart that features a trio of former first-rounders in fifth-year veteran Jaelan Phillips, second-year pro Chop Robinson and two-time Pro Bowl veteran Bradley Chubb.

To reach the maximum value of his contract, Judon will likely have to appear in a certain number of games or play a percentage of total defensive snaps as well as record a specified statistical figure, such as sacks, pressures, quarterback hits or a combination of one or more. There could also be a team success bonus included that could trigger if the Dolphins reach double-digit wins, claim the AFC division title for the first time since 2008 or just make the playoffs.