The 2026 NFL season is slowly closing in. Training camps start opening in just a few days and the league will soon be in full swing as teams prepare for September’s start to the regular season. We continue to preview the Miami Dolphins’ upcoming campaign with a look at the individual players on the roster.
Today, we turn to the defensive line, where veteran edge rusher David Ojabo is joining Miami after four seasons with the Baltimore Ravens. In a position group that appears wide open this summer, where can Ojabo fit into the Dolphins’ depth chart?
Name: David Ojabo
Number: 50
Position: Edge
Height / Weight: 6’4” / 252 pounds
Age (at start of season): 26
Experience: 5th season
College: Michigan
Draft: 2022 2nd round (45th overall) – Baltimore Ravens
Acquired: 2026 free agent signing
Contract and 2026 salary cap
Contract: 1-year, $1.4 million
2026 salary cap: $1.3 million
Games played: 14
Tackles: 16
Sacks: 0.5
A former second-round pick, Ojabo underperformed from the Ravens’ expectations of him throughout his four seasons in Baltimore. Last year, he came into the year healthy and ready to get back on track, but he found himself buried on the depth chart for much of the season. His 14 games played was a career high (he played a combined 18 games in his first three seasons), but he was only on the field for 22 percent of the snaps on defense, and he was not a special teams contributor, only playing 19 percent of the snaps there. It was very obvious that Baltimore was not looking to bring him back after the season.
Defensive end signings: Robert Beal, Jr., Seth Coleman, Cameron Goode (re-signed), Rodney McGraw (UDFA), David Ojabo, Mason Reiger (UDFA), Josh Uche
Released: Bradley Chubb, Derrick McLendon (waived)
Drafted: Trey Moore (4th round), Max Llewellyn (7th round)
Could a change of scenery spark a turn around in Ojabo’s career? Absolutely, and we have seen it happen many times before. Realistically, however, the Dolphins should be hoping he can become a depth option who can rotate into a game and take a few snaps while someone higher on the depth chart gets a breather. Ojabo cannot be considered a challenger for the starting role opposite Chop Robinson, where he will be battling several other free agent additions, including Josh Uche and Robert Beal, Jr., along with drafted rookies Trey Moore (4th round) and Max Llewellyn (7th round). Ojabo may end up a player stashed deep on the roster, someone who lands on the practice squad, or could play himself into being nothing more than a camp body this summer.