The Miami Dolphins have made some notable additions to their defensive unit as of late with the team’s Week 1 bout against the Indianapolis Colts looming. First, Miami inked cornerback Rasul Douglas to a one-year deal not long ago, and he helps the team’s playoff chances for several reasons.
The Dolphins also signed linebacker Matthew Judon to a one-year deal last month, and fellow Miami linebacker Bradley Chubb raved about the possibilities the team’s defensive unit has after it added Judon to the fold.
“Adding Judon helps out a lot,” Chubb said. “When you have great players going in every play, it’s not going to give the [opposing] offensive linemen a rest.”
Chubb seems to be excited about what defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver will pull out of his back pocket schematically during the season with Judon complementing him on that side of the ball.
“You know in your head all the unique things we could do in the defense,” Chubb said. “To see the players we have inside that room, and all the possibilities we have, we know [Weaver] will do some great things with it. It’s going to be fun.”
The 29-year-old said that Judon will be looking to enjoy a bounce-back campaign with the Dolphins in the 2025 season after he put up far from the best numbers of his pro career with the Atlanta Falcons a season ago.
“JP (Jaelan Phillips) and Chop [Robinson] havent had that 10 plus [sack] feeling yet,” Chubb said. “Me and Judon are trying to get back to what we’ve been doing, me coming off a year not playing, Judon coming off a year where he feel he didn’t have the most productivity in Atlanta.”
Judon has totaled as many as 15.5 sacks in a single NFL season, and that came back when he was playing for the New England Patriots in the 2022 campaign. He received the ninth-most votes for the AP NFL Defensive Player of the Year award that season. However, he finished with just 5.5 sacks across 15 starts with the Falcons in the 2024 season.
Dolphins fans are hoping that the acquisition of Judon will help prevent the team’s defensive unit from taking a step back compared to last season. The Dolphins allowed just 21.4 points per game last season under Weaver, but the team has lost a lot of talented defensive players from a season ago, including cornerback Jalen Ramsey and safety Jevon Holland.
Judon can give Dolphins fans plenty to look forward to by starting out the 2025 season against the Colts with a strong performance that includes a sack or two and several tackles. If he can replicate his level of production he gave the Patriots earlier this decade, Miami’s defensive unit could end up being more formidable than expected in the new campaign.
Judon could prove to be one of the more important additions of the offseason for Miami.
