The Dolphins’ front seven is set to receive a pair of reinforcements in the near future. Both Bradley Chubb and Cameron Goode could be back in the lineup as early as Week 14. 
Chubb and Goode will return to practice Wednesday, head coach Mike McDaniel said (via Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald). That will start their respective 21-day activation windows; provided both players are moved to the active roster within that span, they will be eligible to suit up down the stretch. Chubb and Goode are on the reserve/PUP list, so bringing them back will not affect Miami’s remaining injured reserve activations.
Chubb suffered an ACL tear last December, making him one of several key defenders who was unavailable to the Dolphins during the playoffs. McDaniel recently expressed optimism the former Bronco would be able to play at some point in 2024, and today’s update is an encouraging one in that respect. Goode, meanwhile, was believed to be further ahead of Chubb in his rehab from a torn patellar tendon, but he will see his practice window opened at the same time.
Miami’s pass rush has been shorthanded all year, and Chubb’s absence has been key in that regard. The two-time Pro Bowler amassed 11 sacks last season, his first full one with the Dolphins. Expectations were high that he and Jaelan Phillips would be able to remain productive upon returning to health from their respective 2023 injuries. Phillips went down with a season-ending knee injury in Week 4, though, which exacerbated Chubb’s absence.
The Dolphins sit 29th in the NFL with only 21 sacks on the year. Getting Chubb back in particular will help in that department (although expectations in his case will be tempered given his long time out of the fold), especially since Tyus Bowser is on injured reserve. Miami could have added a veteran presence along the edge in the form of Shaquil Barrett, but the team declined to activate him from the reserve/retired list last week.
Goode 26, was selected in the seventh round of the 2022 draft but he did not make his regular season debut until last year. The Cal product played 17 games in 2023, handling a heavy special teams workload. That will likely remain the case for the closing stages of the campaign once he is activated.