When the Miami Dolphins lost Jaelan Phillips for the second season in a row, it was a forgone conclusion they would have to find a replacement. The options were not great, but they weren’t quite this bad.
The Dolphins went the bargain route, signing Jaelan Phillips off the Seattle Seahawks’ practice squad. If they wanted to go in this direction, they could’ve added Yannick Ngakoue off of the Baltimore Ravens’ practice squad instead.
Bowser makes some sense for the Dolphins. Defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver knows what he can and can’t do after they spent time together in Baltimore. The former 2017 second-round pick spent his entire NFL career with Baltimore until he joined the Seahawks’ practice squad this season.
Bowser has 19.5 career sacks and has started 24 games in seven seasons. He will get more opportunities with the Dolphins this season. Miami needs Bowser to step up. Without Phillips, the Dolphins would have had to rely on Emmanuel Ogbah, who did a good job.
The addition of Bowser is another sign of the big mistake made by Chris Grier this offseason when he signed Shaq Barrett without having a good grasp of his desire to play another season. Barrett retired before the start of camp. The Dolphins let Andrew Van Ginkel leave in free agency, another of his offseason mistakes.
Bowser can play both outside and on the inside, but it will be on the edge where he is most needed. With familiarity in Weaver’s system, his transition should be easier. The Dolphins need him to make an immediate impact.
The move isn’t earth-shattering, but the Dolphins didn’t have the foresight to think that Phillips could be re-injured this year. As a result, they were underprepared and forced into making a move.
