After 2 different stints with the San Francisco 49ers, and a big role for the Washington Commanders in 2024 on the way to the NFC Championship game, former No. 4 overall pick and edge rusher Clelin Ferrell is headed to the AFC East.
“The Dolphins have signed former No. 4 overall pick DE Clelin Ferrell,” The 33rd Team’s Ari Meirov wrote on his official X account on Monday.
“Dolphins sign Clelin Ferrell, waive Kahlil Saunders,” NFL reporter Aaron Wilson wrote on his official X account.
Ferrell started all 17 regular-season games for the 49ers in 2023 and returned to play for them in 2025, with no starts in 8 games. He was the No. 4 overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft by the Las Vegas Raiders.
In 2024, Ferrell played 14 games for the Commanders with 10 starts, 3.5 sacks, 4 TFL and 9 QB hits as the franchise went 12-5 in the regular season and advanced to the NFC Championship Game for the 1st time since 1991.
“21 sacks, 57 NFL starts for new Fin DL Clelin Ferrell,” Dolphins reporter Barry Jackson wrote on his official X account. “233 defensive snaps for 49ers last season and 17 for Rams. Worth a look. Nothing to lose with Dolphins signing high picks like Ferrell, Terrace Marshall, Jalen Reagor. Low risk, possible high reward.”
Clelin Ferrell Market Corrected in 2019 NFL Draft
Unfortunately for Ferrell, he wasn’t the only defensive end the Raiders selected in 2019. In the 4th round (No. 106 overall), they selected Eastern Michigan’s Maxx Crosby, who has been 1 of the NFL’s elite edge rushers from the moment he stepped on the field.
Over the next 4 seasons, Crosby’s star continued to rise. Ferrell continued to decline, and had a career-high 4.5 sacks as a rookie, but just 10.0 sacks from 2019 to 2022 before the Raiders let him become a free agent.
Ferrell played 2023 on a 1-year, $2.5 million contract with the San Francisco 49ers and breathed life into his career by starting all 17 games and finishing with 3.5 sacks as the 49ers advanced to the Super Bowl.
When former 49ers assistant general manager Adam Peters was hired as Washington’s general manager following the 2023 season, he made a move to bring Ferrell with him on a 1-year, $3.75 million contract.
“General manager Adam Peters brought Ferrell to Washington because he knows he’s a good leader, works hard and has no problem mentoring younger players,” USA Today’s Bryan Manning wrote on July 15. “Ferrell is a good run-stopper. He will likely play a similar role in Washington as he did in San Francisco.”
Commanders Reworked Edge Rusher Position in Offseason
The Commanders paid big money for edge rushers this offseason, signing a pair of free agents and former 1st-round picks in Odafe Oweh (4 years, $96 million) and K’Lavon Chaisson (1 year, $11 million).
That’s the type of investment teams make before they turn things around, which the Commanders are trying to do after falling flat by going 5-12 in 2025.
If they do turn things around, Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox thinks it will be because Chaisson had a huge hand in it after singling out the former LSU star as 1 of a handful of edge rushers who will take their game to the next level in 2026.
“K’Lavon Chaisson has been on a slow buildup to a breakout season,” Knox wrote on July 21. “After four mostly unproductive years with the Jacksonville Jaguars, he showed flashes in the second half of the 2024 campaign with the Las Vegas Raiders, logging four sacks between Weeks 13 and 17 of that year. On a 1-year, $3 million deal with the New England Patriots, Chaisson continued to make strides in 2025, recording single-season career highs in sacks (7.5), pressures (23) and tackles for loss (10) … he could be primed for an even bigger role in the Washington Commanders’ new-look defense.”
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