Jaguars To Sign DE Emmanuel Ogbah

The Jaguars are signing former Dolphins defensive end Emmanuel Ogbah to a one-year deal with a maximum value of $5MM, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

Ogbah is a nine-year veteran with 87 starts and 47.5 sacks in his career. He spent the last five seasons in Miami with 16 starts and 5.0 sacks in 2024, as well as nine tackles for loss that tied a career-high.

The Jaguars were in need of an experienced third edge defender, and Ogbah will provide depth behind Josh Hines-Allen and Travon Walker. Jacksonville only spent a sixth-round pick on the position over the weekend, adding Auburn’s Jalen McLeod. Like new teammate Yasir Abdullah, McLeod is an undersized outside linebacker whose football smarts and versatility will be his best path to playing time.

Jacksonville will be Ogbah’s fourth home in the NFL after beginning his up-and-down career in Cleveland as a second-round pick in 2016. He flashed with 5.5 sacks as a rookie, but a fractured foot sidelined him after 10 games in 2017 and his production decreased the year after.

With Ogbah entering the last year of his rookie contract, the Browns traded him to the Chiefs for safety Eric Murray during the 2019 offseason. Ogbah once again suffered a season-ending injury after 10 games – this time a torn pectoral – but he recorded 5.5 sacks before his injury and earned a Super Bowl ring at the end of the season.

Ogbah signed a two-year, $15MM contract with the Dolphins in free agency and exploded for 9.0 sacks in back-to-back years in Miami. That earned him a four-year, $65MM extension, though he has only started 20 games with 11.5 sacks on that contract, due in part to a torn triceps in 2022.

The Jaguars will be hoping they’re getting the healthy, productive version of Ogbah that emerged in his first two years in Miami. Though his contract is worth up to $5MM, the base value is likely lower with incentives to make up the difference.