Once a clear strength of the team, the Miami Dolphins no longer boast one of the league’s most potent edge rushing corps.
Moving off both former first round pick Jaelan Phillips and Bradley Chubb in the span of a few months has seen their portion of the depth chart sport a starting duo of Chop Robinson and Josh Uche.
Both are solid players, although Robinson in particular did not quite manage to kick-on from the promise he showed in 2024 to deliver a top season in 2025.
With the draft generating limited options at the position, and Miami having virtually every other position on their roster also needing an upgrade, the Dolphins could well look to the free agent market to help temporarily fill a clear need heading into the latter portions of the early offseason.
And that player, it would seem, could be former Buffalo Bills defensive end A.J. Epenesa, who visited Miami on Thursday after going unsigned over the course of the first few waves of free agency.
A.J. Epenesa Took a Free Agent Visit With the Dolphins
“AJ Epenesa visited the Dolphins”, ESPN’s NFL Insider Adam Schefter reported on Thursday.
Epenesa was originally drafted in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft alongside fellow Bills edge rusher Greg Rousseau.
After spending the first couple of seasons of his career obtaining limited opportunities from Buffalo’s defensive coaching staff, the 27-year old broke out in 2022, generating 6.5 sacks and producing 10 tackles-for-loss, both of which were career bests.
Over the next two seasons, Epenesa consistently managed 6-6.5 sacks per year, and had his best year on record in 2024, where he made 39 total tackles and hit 11 tackles for loss.
2025 saw Epenesa regress in his sack production, producing just 2.5 on the year as he played out the final season of his two-year, $12 million extension signed back in 2024.
Would Epenesa Be a Fit In Miami?
Epenesa is still a fairly young player, with 2026 set to be his age-28 season. And he has only been a full-time starter in one out of his six years in the pros, 2024. So there is clearly some juice still in the tank.
Between Uche and fellow recent free agent additions at the position, Robert Beal Jr. and David Ojabo, Epenesa could easily find himself as the second or third choice defensive end behind Robinson.
And for his big 260 lb frame, having the Dolphins revert back to a 4-3 defense will no doubt make him a good scheme fit.
For anyone thinking that the Dolphins can alleviate their woes rushing the passer with the signing of Epenesa, the truth is almost certainly not so. But he does provide proven production across multiple seasons in the league with consistently successful, somewhat well-run franchise – a tenet that not a lot of defensive ends across the NFL can point to.
Perhaps with a starting role in Miami, Epenesa can finally fulfill the promise that had many believe that he could be a first round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft.
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