Dolphins sign three-time Pro Bowl DE

Former Tampa Bay Buccaneers outside linebacker Jason Pierre-Paul (90)

Jason Pierre-Paul will be relocating once again. Spending two weeks on the Saints’ practice squad, the veteran pass rusher is headed to Miami. The Dolphins are signing him off New Orleans’ P-squad, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reports.

A South Florida native, Pierre-Paul made his Saints debut against the Falcons on Sunday. But New Orleans will not sign him to its active roster to block this Miami poaching. The Dolphins attempted to claim Derek Barnett on waivers, seeing the Texans’ waiver priority win out. JPP looks to be a consolation prize of sorts, but the two-time Super Bowl winner obviously brings a considerable pass-rushing pedigree to the team.

While Pierre-Paul made his NFL mark with the Giants and later as a Shaq Barrett tag-team partner as a Buccaneer, he is a Deerfield Beach native who starred at South Florida in the late 2000s. Earlier this month, Pierre-Paul let it be known he did not intend to retire and had aimed to sign with a contender. The Saints endured their sixth loss Sunday, and while they are still in position to vie for the NFC South title, Pierre-Paul’s hometown team is 8-3 and pursuing its first AFC East crown since 2008.

Early in his age-34 season, Pierre-Paul played 17 defensive snaps for the Saints against the Falcons. The Saints could have blocked this Dolphins move by signing JPP to their 53-man roster; by leaving him unprotected, New Orleans will let its recent signee leave. By grabbing Pierre-Paul off another team’s P-squad, the Dolphins must keep him on their 53-man roster for at least three weeks. The team will likely hope this partnership lasts longer.

This move marks a response to Jaelan Phillips‘ Achilles tear. Phillips’ 6.5 sacks are tied with Christian Wilkins for the team lead. Barnett is seven years younger than Pierre-Paul, but the latter has considerable experience assisting contenders. Pierre-Paul and Barrett hounded Patrick Mahomes in Super Bowl LV, and JPP dropped Aaron Rodgers twice in that year’s NFC championship game. Pierre-Paul completed a 2011 breakout season — a first-team All-Pro campaign — by leading a stacked Giants D-end batch to a Super Bowl title in 2011. For his career, Pierre-Paul has 94.5 career sacks and 21 forced fumbles.

Last season, the Ravens signed JPP in September but used him as a starter in 13 regular-season games. This resulted in only three sacks and three QB hits. In 12 Bucs games during the 2021 season, JPP only notched five QB hits. The Dolphins are likely planning a rotational role for the experienced edge defender, with Bradley Chubb anchoring their OLB contingent. The team also has seen Zach Sieler post five sacks and Andrew Van Ginkel contributes four. Despite being demoted, Emmanuel Ogbah has four sacks. The highly-paid pass rusher, however, has only been on the field for 21% of the Dolphins’ defensive snaps.

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