May 17, 2022; Miami Gardens, FL, USA; A general view of a Miami Dolphins helmet on the grass during OTA practice at Baptist Health Training Complex. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports.
The Miami Dolphins ranked 10th in 2023 per ESPN’s pass-rush win rate metric, a mark they’ll hope to careen into the Top 5 this season.
In doing so, a former Minnesota Vikings pass rusher could be on board if all goes according to plan, as Yannick Ngakoue auditioned for Miami’s roster this week.
NFL Network‘s Cameron Wolfe tweeted Monday, “Dolphins worked out 2 veteran EDGE rushers — Emmanuel Ogbah and Yannick Ngakoue — today seeking more pass rush help after Shaq Barrett retirement. Miami’s 1st training camp practice is in 2 days.”
Ngakoue last played for the Chicago Bears, signing with the Vikings’ rival last offseason. He broke his ankle in December, and that was that for his career in Chicago.
Here’s Ngakoue’s resume to date:
A journeyman indeed, Ngakoue basically spends one year at every destination. It’s his modus operandi, one that could continue if Mike McDaniel’s Dolphins take the plunge.
If Ngakoue lands a contract, he’d interweave with these Dolphins outside linebackers:
On August 30th, 2020, Yannick Ngakoue was dealt to the Minnesota Vikings early on a Sunday morning for a 2nd-Round pick in 2021 and a conditional fifth-round pick in 2022. Ngakoue was at a contractual impasse with the Jacksonville Jaguars at the time, a team in full sell-off mode after reaching the AFC Championship in 2017. The Vikings seized the bait and sought to employ a duo of EDGE rushers that would inspire nightmares. The combo turned out to be Ngakoue and Ifeadi Odenigbo, not Ngakoue and Hunter.
The Vikings’ 2020 pass rush was miserable — the worst in the NFL, in fact. The pass rusher was then traded to the Baltimore Ravens in what felt like the beginning of a fire sale as the Vikings stood at 1-5 entering the 2020 bye week. The fire sale never extended beyond Ngakoue, but Minnesota emphatically threw in the towel on the high hopes for its 2020 pass rush. Instead, Odenigbo received more playing time, providing the coaching staff with intel that he was not a long-term starting asset on the defensive line. He was released in 2021.
Ngakoue produced a sorrowful 39.9 Pro Football Focus grade in 2023 while playing about 600 defensive snaps.
He turned 29 in March.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. He hosts a podcast with Bryant McKinnie, which airs every Wednesday with Raun Sawh and Sal Spice. His Vikings obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band).
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.