The Miami Dolphins won the hotly contested Matthew Judon sweepstakes.
According to Tom Pelissaro of NFL Network, the Dolphins are expected to sign the veteran EDGE rusher to an incentive-laden, one-year contract worth up to $6 million.
Judon, a fifth-round pick of the Baltimore Ravens from the 2016 NFL Draft, has 72 career sacks and nine forced fumbles over his nine-season NFL career with Baltimore, the the New England Patriots and Atlanta Falcons.
He had 5.5 sacks and one interception return for a touchdown while playing all 17 games with the Falcons in 2024.
Are The Dolphins Going To Sign Matthew Judon?
Judon has been linked to the Philadelphia Eagles and Washington Commanders while sitting on the free agent market throughout the off-season.
Yet, according to NFL insider Aaron Wilson, Judon was in South Florida on Monday, which was a precursor to the Dolphins signing him.
“Matthew Judon set to meet today with #Dolphins and is expected to join them, barring anything unforeseen, per league source,” Wilson shared on X (formerly Twitter) on Monday.
When asked about Judon’s visit, coach Mike McDaniel played coy initailly.
“We are visiting for the sake of seeing if there is a situation that both parties would be able to come into an agreement of, ‘hey, this is a situation that fits,'” McDaniel said, according to the Miami Herald. “We will see what it leads to.”
Judon is only two years removed from finishing ninth in voting for NFL Defensive Player of the Year when he set a career high with 15.5 sacks as a member of the Patriots in 2022. He had 60 tackles that season and qualified for the Pro Bowl for the fourth consecutive year.
But Judon sustained a torn biceps in Week 4 of the 2023 season and missed the rest of the season. The Patriots traded him to Atlanta for a third-round pick last August, and he played out the final year of his four-year, $54 million contract by setting a career high with five passes defended in a Falcons uniform a season ago.
Still, Judon ended up with just a 43 overall grade from Pro Football Focus in 2024, which was 194th of 210 EDGE rushers, despite playing 655 snaps a season ago.
The 6-3, 270-pound rusher had 41 tackles and 25 pressures in 2024 for the Falcons.
What Can Matthew Judon Do For The Dolphins?
The Dolphins had trouble rushing the passer in 2024, since they finished 27th in sacks (35) and 21st in pressures (130) a season ago.
So Judon can provide some QB pressure the team has been lacking since Andrew Van Ginkel left Miami for the Minnesota Vikings after the 2023 season.
Though Judon’s sack total was the fewest in a full season for his career, he still would have ranked third on Dolphins in the statistic in 2024.
Judon can also spell some of the Dolphins EDGE rushers, including 2024 sack leader Zach Sieler, Chop Robinson and outside linebacker Jaelan Phillips. Phillips has missed the past week due to injury but is not expected to be out long term, and Robinson sustained a rib injury last week but returned to practice Thursday.
Dolphins Bolster Pass Rush By Signing 4-Time Pro Bowl EDGE