The Miami Dolphins turned over a good portion of their roster this offseason, replacing talented, expensive players with free agents, mostly on cheaper one-year deals.
A lot of their free agent additions will play significant roles for the team in 2026, as the Dolphins try to build a foundation, and the players attempt to earn a contract for 2027 in Miami or elsewhere.
Last week, ESPN’s Bill Barnwell went through each AFC team’s best and worst deals of the offseason, and he identified the signing of linebacker Joshua Uche as Miami’s best.
“Uche is still only 27, and he has had success at one of the league’s most important positions… There probably isn’t a superstar in the making here, but Uche could be a useful player if given the opportunity, both now and for several years to come,” Barnwell wrote.
Uche spent four years at Michigan, earning All-Big Ten honors once before the New England Patriots took him in the second round of the 2020 NFL draft. New England traded him to the Kansas City Chiefs in 2024, and he spent the 2025 season with the Philadelphia Eagles.
In 76 games over six seasons in the league, Uche has recorded 109 tackles, 37 quarterback hits, 21.5 sacks, two forced fumbles, one fumble recovery and one pass defensed.
Uche has played more than 35% of a team’s defensive snaps once in his career, and in that season, he set a career-high 11.5 sacks. He should have opportunities to prove himself this year.
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This article originally appeared on Dolphins Wire: ESPN analyst makes surprising selection for Dolphins best signing
Reporting by Mike Masala, Dolphins Wire / Dolphins Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
