5 defensive ends the Carolina Panthers should target in 2022 free agency
By Luke Gray
Carolina Panthers should target Emmanuel Ogbah
- 2021 salary – $7.5m
- Spotrac protected contract – 3 yrs $30.4M, average annual salary $10.1M
Another coming off a solid season in 2021, Emmanuel Ogbah is a name to monitor if the Miami Dolphins let him hit the free-agent market. The defensive end was part of a team who recovered from a 1-7 start to finish 9-8 last time around, narrowly missing out on the postseason – something that eventually cost Brian Flores his job.
During his two years in Miami, Ogbah has had good production totaling nine sacks each year as a part of Flores’ stellar defense.
At 275 pounds, Ogbah is also a big body who could wreak havoc in Carolina Panthers defensive coordinator Phil Snows’ system alongside Brian Burns. With a projected average annual salary of just over $10 million, this makes him a cheaper option than Hasson Reddick and Jadeveon Clowney while producing similar numbers.
The former Oklahoma State man could be a shrewd acquisition for Carolina, coming from a team in Miami who got after the quarterback regularly as Josh Boyer was known for his heavy blitz packages. This included their Week 12 matchup with the Panthers when the Dolphins had five sacks including one for Ogbah.
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Whether the Panthers are willing to shell out such a large chunk of change for any defensive lineman is debatable. However, good pass-rushers don’t grow on trees and if Reddick does depart, Ogbah could be the man to fill the void.