Shaquil Barrett, a two-time Pro Bowler who was expected to log significant playing time for the Dolphins while their two starting outside linebackers recover from injuries, delivered stunning news on Saturday when he announced his retirement at age 31.
His exit - three days before the start of training camp - leaves Miami without a single accomplished, experienced and healthy veteran outside linebacker on its roster.
“It’s time for me to hang it up,” Barrett said in a statement on Instagram. “It’s been a great ride and I appreciate everything that came with it over the years. I’m ready to shift my full focus to my wife and kids and helping them realize [their] dreams and catch ‘em.
“Anyone who caught their dreams before know the work, time and consistency required to reach them. I’m ready to start building them skills up in my kids, which will take 100% commitment. [I know] to some it’ll be a surprise but I’ve been thinking about this for a while and the decision has never been more clear than it is now.”
Even with Barrett, the Dolphins already were thin at outside linebacker because starters Jaelan Phillips and Bradley Chubb are recovering from major injuries and will begin training camp on the physically unable to perform list.
Phillips, who sustained a torn’ Achilles tendon on Nov. 24 against the Jets, is running fluidly and told ESPN in April that he will be ready for the season, though he didn’t clarify if he meant the Sept. 8 season opener against visiting Jacksonville.
Chubb is recovering from a Dec. 31 torn ACL in his right knee and could return at some point during the first half of the season.
Outside linebacker Cameron Goode also is expected to be sidelined into the regular season after sustaining a torn patellar tendon during the Week 17 game against Buffalo.
In the meantime, the Dolphins’ top healthy outside linebackers are rookies Chop Robinson (the team’s first round pick) and Mo Kamara, Miami’s fifth round pick.
Other outside linebackers under contract: Quinton Bell (who has appeared in nine NFL games for Atlanta and Tampa), undrafted UCLA rookie Grayson Murphy, second-year player Zeke Vandenburgh (who missed last season with an injury) and special teams ace Cam Brown, who was primarily an inside linebacker for the Giants over the past four years but also played some snaps on the edge. Brown has played only 107 defensive snaps in his NFL career, including just 14 over the past three seasons.
Among the Dolphins’ options at outside linebacker:
▪ They can sign a veteran free agent, which seems the most likely path. Veteran Carl Lawson, who visited the Dolphins in April, remains unsigned.
The 265-pound defensive end/outside linebacker had seven sacks for the Jets in 2022, but played just 101 defensive snaps (and had five tackles) in six games for the Jets last season.
Lawson, 28, spent the first four years of his career with Cincinnati, where he had 20 sacks in 51 games and 14 starts. He spent the past two years with the Jets.
Another option would be former Dolphins edge player Emmanuel Ogbah, who remains unsigned after his February release. In some ways, he fits new Dolphins defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver’s defense better than he fit predecessor Vic Fangio’s defense.
Ogbah had 24.5 sacks in four seasons with Miami, including 5.5 last season.
Other veteran free agent outside linebackers still available include Tyus Bowser (who has 19.5 career sacks and past experience playing for Weaver in Baltimore), Markus Golden (51 career sacks, including four in 16 games for Pittsburgh last season) and Anthony Barr (18.5 career sacks). Veteran defensive end Yannick Ngakoue also remains unsigned; he has 69 career sacks, including four in 13 games for Chicago last season.
And don’t rule out three outside linebackers who appeared in the playoff loss for Miami because of major injuries at outside linebacker: Melvin Ingram, Bruce Irvin and Justin Houston. Malik Reid also was signed to Miami’s practice squad for that game after being cut by the team in training camp.
▪ The Dolphins can use one or two of their veteran inside linebackers – Jordyn Brooks, David Long Jr., Anthony Walker, Duke Riley or Channing Tindall - in an edge role as needed.
Tindall would seem the most well suited for moving to outside linebacker; pass rushing skills were his greatest asset as a third-round pick out of Georgia in 2022.
▪ They can use veteran interior lineman Calais Campbell as an outside rusher at times, instead of using him entirely in a defensive tackle role.
As for Barrett, the Dolphins figure to be able to recoup his $5.5 million signing bonus because he never played a down for the team after signing a one-year deal that could have been worth up to $9 million with incentives.
Miami also could get back $7 million in cap space; the Dolphins currently have $12 million in cap space, per overthecap.com.
Undrafted out of Colorado State, Barrett finished his career with 59 sacks, 22 forced fumbles, 400 tackles and 73 tackles for loss in nine seasons -- the first five for Denver and the past four for Tampa Bay.
The two-time Super Bowl winner was a Pro Bowler in 2019 and 2021 and a second-team All Pro in 2019. He led the league with 19.5 sacks in 2019, his first with Tampa after leaving Denver to sign a one-year deal with the Buccaneers.
Barrett had 52 tackles (including three for loss) and 4.5 sacks, an interception and three forced fumbles in 16 games for Tampa Bay last season, all starts. Pro Football Focus rated Barrett 42nd among 112 edge defenders last season.
He played in only eight games in 2022 because of a torn Achilles tendon sustained in Week 8. But he had 10 sacks in 15 games 2021.
After that season, he was ranked 86th by his fellow players on the NFL’s list of top 100 player for 2022. He was released by Tampa on Feb. 24, three years into a four-year, $72 million contract extension.
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