Don’t Overlook Ogbah In 2023!

Ogbah was the engine of the Phins defense for two seasons

Miami Dolphins Emmanuel Ogbah was the driving force behind the defense during the 2020 and 2021 Seasons, but his 2022 Season was a strong departure due to poor production and injuries. He has become a bit of a forgotten man among some fans. While many Dolphins fans are focused on Jaelen Phillips, Christian Wilkins, Zach Sieler, and Bradly Chubb… Ogbah shouldn’t be forgotten. When you go back and look at how excellent his first two seasons with Miami were and add in the addition of Vic Fangio, a resurgent Ogbah is both very exciting and very possible.

Ogbah could be the cherry on top of the 2023 defense

Ogbah recently told Aaron Wilson of KPRC2, “I’ll say we can be as good as we want to be.”

It’s easy to dismiss this as ‘player-speak’, but when you consider all the talent and the addition of Fangio, there is a real possibility that this is just Ogbah telling the truth. There is no reason to think that this can’t be the best Dolphins defense fans have watched in a long time… And a healthy Ogbah in a bounce-back season could be the piece that takes this defense over the top.

Ogbah is a leader in personality and talent, bringing high talent depth to rest Phillips and Chubb and also getting starting snaps on the edge or inside on nickel looks or obvious pass downs. This is a huge asset for this defense. Fangio loves employing a 5-man front and the group of Sieler, Wilkens, Ogbah flanked by Phillips and Chubb is really a stunning collection of talent. And then you have to factor in the elite talents of Howard, Ramsey, and Holland behind them that’s a sure bet with the best pay per head to accentuate their production.

But, let’s do a trip down memory lane on Ogbah at his best.

Ogbah is a big wildcard for the 2023 Dolphins defense

Jaelen Phillips is a special pass rusher who was tied at 6th best in total pressure with 77 total in 2022 (not to mention a dozen-plus holds in front of refs that weren’t called). But, Ogbah’s 2021 and 2022 pressure totals would have ranked him between 10th and 13th in 2022. Think about that! Having the 6th and around 10th best pass rusher on the same squad! Ogbah’s sack total would be about 15th and his 11 deflections of 1st best, 3 more than Christian Wilkins, who was in 1st place with 8 deflections.

Just with Phillips and Wilkins alone, you can see excellent synergy.

A healthy Ogbah working with other Dolphins players would make this an ultra-formidable defensive front to drive the 2023 team to the top of the NFL! Go Phins!!!