But Ogbah said the Dolphins don’t feel intimidated by the pressure of the rising competition levels, even welcoming the challenge of building on their 2022 finish and staying competitive within the division.
“Our division is tough now,” Ogbah said. “But we’re excited, we love the competition. We’re ready to go. We don’t look at nobody [else]. We compete against ourself.”
The biggest defensive change Miami made this offseason was the hiring of Vic Fangio as defensive coordinator. Fangio has over two decades of experience and the hope is that his expertise will help bring the Dolphins defense up from the middle of the pack to a premier unit.
At his disposal Fangio will have one of the deepest defenses in the league, highlighted by big names all over the field. Ogbah, Jaelan Phillips, Christian Wilkins and Bradley Chubb should be leaders up front, while the secondary saw the addition of CB Jalen Ramsey to complement 2022 Pro Bowler Xavien Howard and Jevon Holland. If the defense can gel under Fangio as expected, it could end up being a unit to beware in 2023.
But a roster can only be so good if its players can’t get on the field together, a fact Ogbah acknowledged when addressing his injury-hampered 2022 season, in which he recorded career-lows in sacks (1.0) and tackles (11). Ogbah suffered a season-ending triceps injury in Week 10, meaning that he only got to play one full game alongside Chubb, as the latter came over from Denver at the trade deadline.
“I can’t wait to get back on the field with all of them boys at the same time,” Ogbah said.
After recording 9.0 sacks for the second straight year in 2021, Ogbah knows what he needs to do to get back on the field on a consistent basis.
“It’s all about healthy. This game’s all about being healthy. I’m excited. I’ve been doing the right things with my body, taking care of my body, just making sure I’m ready and fit to last the whole season,” he said.
The Dolphins will next come together on July 25th when all players report to training camp, and will have a further three weeks of practice before we see the team’s new defense for the first time in preseason. But even before the first snap, Ogbah is already confident about the high ceiling of this year’s squad.