The Miami Dolphins have made a concerted effort to upgrade their roster for the 2020 season, but one former NFL scout doesn’t see the team’s new defensive ends as potential standouts for the team.
NFL scout Matt Williamson, who now hosts the “Locked on the NFL” podcast, spoke with the Miami Herald about his assessment of the Dolphins’ defensive players. Regarding the team’s defensive line, Williamson sees more of an upside with the interior line.
“The defensive ends [Emmanuel Ogbah, Shaq Lawson] are place holders,” Williamson said. “They’re not very dynamic, but they’re very physical – which is a trend with this team – and they’re good against the run.
“There’s some position versatility there, but it’s a bunch of Robins, not Batmans. The defensive tackles [Christian Wilkins, Davon Godchaux, Raekwon Davis, Zach Sieler] are a good young group; the arrow is pointing up for that group.”
Any improvement on the Dolphins defensive line would be welcome this season, considering the team allowed a league-high 494 points in 2019.
One of the chief reasons for those struggles was the lack of a pass rush, with the Dolphins collecting only 23 sacks on the season.
In 2019, Lawson had a career-high 6.5 sacks for the Buffalo Bills, while Ogbah had 5.5 as a member of the Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs.
Both numbers are acceptable, but won’t necessarily move the needle when it comes to taking major steps forward in stopping the opposing team’s passing game.
However, Lawson and Ogbah can work in tandem with the team’s other defenders to help keep points off the board. If they succeed in that area, the chances of the Dolphins moving into playoff contention figure to improve.
Right now, the issue of what form this season’s games for all NFL teams will take remains uncertain. The likelihood of playing in empty stadiums is a possibility, but that final decision has yet to be made.
Regardless of whether there are fans in the stands or not, Dolphins fans are set to cheer any hint of the team’s improvement.
