The Miami Dolphins reportedly are adding two-time Pro Bowl pass rusher Shaquil Barrett on a one-year deal.
JUST IN: Shaquil Barrett is signing with the #Dolphins, per @Schultz_Report.
Miami adds a pass rusher. 👀 pic.twitter.com/K3njh9XR27
— Dolphin Nation (@Dolphin_Nation) March 12, 2024
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Barrett is signing a one-year deal worth up to $9 million with the Dolphins.
Free-agent Shaq Barrett has agreed to terms with the Dolphins on a one-year deal worth up to $9 million. The deal was confirmed by agents Drew Rosenhaus and Robert Bailey. pic.twitter.com/jaYCCWEVtX
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 12, 2024
Barrett spent the last five seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after beginning his career with the Denver Broncos. He started 16 games for Tampa Bay last season, recording 52 combined tackles, three tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks.
It wasn’t Barrett’s best season, but he’s shown that he can be one of the league’s best pass rushers during his career. In the 2019 season – his first with Tampa – Barrett led the league with 19.5 sacks, earning him an All-Pro nod for the first time in his career. He also finished fourth in the voting for the Defensive Player of the Year award that season.
In the 2021 season, Barrett posted the second double-digit sack season of his career, racking up 10.0 sacks in 15 games. He’s tallied 59.0 sacks across 131 games (85 starts) in his NFL career.
Adding Barrett is huge for the Dolphins after the team lost key defenders like Andrew Van Ginkel (signed with the Minnesota Vikings), Christian Wilkins (signed with the Las Vegas Raiders), Jerome Baker (released), Xavien Howard (released) and Brandon Jones (signed with the Denver Broncos) this offseason.
Barrett should give the team some major help on the edge, especially with Van Ginkel no longer on the roster.
The Dolphins also lost Jaelan Phillips and Bradley Chubb, two of the team’s top pass rushers, to season-ending injuries in the 2023 campaign, so Barrett gives the team some insurance in case either player isn’t ready for the start of the 2024 season.
Barrett also has a lot of experience in big games, as he was a part of the Denver team that won Super Bowl 50 and the Tampa Bay team that defeated the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LV.
During Tampa Bay’s Super Bowl run in the 2020 season, Barrett record four sacks in four playoff games.
Since the Dolphins have Super Bowl aspirations after making the playoffs in each of the last two seasons, adding a player with Barrett’s pedigree is certainly helpful.
