What to Make of the Epenesa Free Agent Visit

The Miami Dolphins haven't signed a free agent in a couple of weeks, but they did have an interesting free agent visit Thursday.

Veteran defensive end A.J. Epenesa, who has spent the past six seasons with the Buffalo Bills, visited the team, according to the NFL’s daily transaction report. He was one of two defensive ends who made visits today in the NFL, alongside Dante Fowler, who visited Seattle.

Epenesa, a second-round draft pick by Buffalo in 2020 (54th overall), was set to sign with Cleveland back on March 29. However, he failed his physical due to an undisclosed injury, and the Browns decided not to sign him to what would have been a one-year, $5 million contract.

The former Iowa Hawkeyes star already tested free agency once in his career, re-signing with the Bills when he tested the open market as an unrestricted free agent back in 2024. He would go on to re-sign with Buffalo on a two-year, $12 million contract.

Injuries Are A Concern

2024 was arguably Epenesa’s best season in the NFL. He started in 13 games for the Bills in 2024, recording 23 solo tackles, two forced fumbles, six sacks, and a safety.

Last year, however, he experienced multiple injuries that limited his time on the field. He suffered a concussion as well as injuries to his pectoral, foot, and neck.

As a result, he only made two starts but still appeared in 16 games, racking up four pass deflections, two interceptions, and a fumble recovery. He played in Buffalo’s loss to Denver in the AFC Divisional Round after coming back from IR because of the aforementioned neck injury.

Immediate Depth At DE

In total, Epenesa has played in 14 playoff games with Buffalo and has recorded five pass deflections, 17 combined tackles, and three QB hits. Essentially, he proved to be a reliable backup option for the Bills’ defensive line rotation for the majority of his career.

Epenesa is infamous in Dolphins circles for his hit on QB Tua Tagovailoa in Week 2 of the 2021 season that sidelined Tagovailoa for three games with a rib injury.

If Miami were to sign him, he likely would provide depth for the Dolphins in a similar manner to Buffalo. If the starters at DE end up being Chop Robinson and newcomer Josh Uche, then perhaps he can compete for a backup role alongside fellow newcomers Robert Beal Jr and David Ojabo.

If the Dolphins do end up signing Epenesa, it's important to note that all of their free agent acquisitions this offseason outside of Malik Willis got one-year contracts at or barely above the veteran minimum salary.

Miami also has less than $2 million of cap space, according to Over The Cap, so this could come down to the Dolphins being satisfied with Epenesa's medical status and the player's willingness to accept a much lower offer than he was ready to get with Cleveland.

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