Dolphins adding edge rusher, Super Bowl champ Shaq Barrett in free agency
The Miami Dolphins began Day 2 of free agency with the pickup of veteran edge rusher Shaquil Barrett.
Barrett agreed to terms with the Dolphins on Tuesday morning for one year and up to $9 million, according to agents Drew Rosenhaus and Robert Bailey.
NFL free agent negotiations began Monday and players that agree to deals with new teams can begin signing those contracts at 4 p.m. Wednesday, the start of the new league year, although Barrett does not factor into that equation because he was released this offseason by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Barrett is free to sign, like tight end Jonnu Smith was last week.
Barrett, 31, provides outside linebacker depth for a Dolphins team that has Jaelan Phillips and Bradley Chubb slotted as a starting combination at the position, but both Phillips (Achilles) and Chubb (knee) are coming off serious season-ending injuries that will require extensive recoveries.
Miami lost Andrew Van Ginkel to the Minnesota Vikings on Monday, leaving a void for a rotational edge rusher when all are healthy. And with the health of Phillips and Chubb possibly going into the start of next season with those rehabs, Barrett may be needed to start.
The veteran Barrett is a two-time Pro Bowl selection and two-time Super Bowl champion. Known for his pass rush, he has 59 career sacks and added four in the postseason for the Buccaneers in their run to a Super Bowl championship in 2020.
Barrett led the league with 19 ½ sacks in 2019 and also had 10 in 2021. Since then, though, he only has 7 ½ over the past two seasons in Tampa.
Barrett started his career as an undrafted selection out of Colorado State for the Denver Broncos, winning his first Super Bowl ring with them as a rookie in 2015. His final year in Denver, 2018, he was teammates with Chubb.
The Dolphins continued to build a new-look defense under new defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver on the second day of free agency. On Monday, they agreed to terms with free agent inside linebackers Jordyn Brooks and Anthony Walker Jr.
Their losses on defense in free agency include defensive tackle Christian Wilkins (Las Vegas Raiders), Van Ginkel, safety Brandon Jones (Denver Broncos). Earlier in the offseason, they’ve also released cornerback Xavien Howard, linebacker Jerome Baker and defensive end Emmanuel Ogbah — Howard’s cut won’t take place until the new league year and will be with a post-June 1 designation. The $18.5 million Miami saves from that move won’t be available to the team until then.
Since Barrett is a signing of a player released instead of due for free agency, he does not factor into the equation for compensatory 2025 draft picks for Miami. The Dolphins are currently set to add a pair of third-round selections from the departures of Wilkins and right guard Robert Hunt to the Carolina Panthers on expensive contracts.