Monday morning served as the starting point for the latest rebuild for the Buffalo Bills’ southern-most rival, the Miami Dolphins. The South Beach franchise announced the release of several players, including superstar wide receiver Tyreek Hill.
The first name among the batch of players released by Miami, though, is one Bills Mafia might want to consider as the Bills look to fortify their pass rush in new defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard’s 3-4 scheme. That of course, is eight-year veteran, Bradley Chubb.
Buffalo certainly needs help on the edge, with Joey Bosa and A.J. Epenesa both set to become free agents. Chubb, who turns 30 this summer, could be a viable option for Buffalo to set the edge in Leonhard’s defense.
Bradley Chubb offers Buffalo Bills proven production at a more manageable free agent price
While Chubb spent his first 4.5 seasons in the NFL in Denver, it was well before Leonhard was with the franchise. Still, Chubb played in a 3-4 scheme there, as well as the 3-4 scheme that persists in Miami. There should be no issues in Buffalo pursuing him from a scheme standpoint.
As for production, Chubb has been steady when healthy. He only has two season with 10+ sacks, one of which was his rookie campaign opposite Von Miller. However, he had 11 in his first full season with the Dolphins before tearing his ACL late in the season, forcing him to miss all of 2024. In 2025, Chubb played the full 17-game slate, and picked up a team-leading 8.5 sacks.
That would have been enough to lead Buffalo last season, too, as Gregory Rousseau led the team with just seven.Â
Bosa is likely gone, both due to the scheme change and finances. Epenesa might be more of a toss-up, as his skillset could be useful in the rotation on run downs, though he hasn’t played in a 3-4 scheme at the NFL level. Either way, finding a dedicated pass-rusher who can pair well opposite Rousseau is one of the key needs for Buffalo this offseason.Â
READ MORE: Dolphins start rebuild with release of Tyreek Hill (and Bills fans are laughing)
Chubb’s history of extensive injuries, he’s had three ACL tears in his football career dating back to high school, is certainly worth some concern. However, if signing a player like Chubb can keep Buffalo from parting with draft capital to address the position, they could instead spend a pick on a young pass rusher to develop behind him.
Over The Cap projects Chubb’s valuation on the open market at $12.2 million per year, which would certainly be cheaper than a Maxx Crosby-like addition, giving Buffalo more leeway in their pursuit of a difference-maker at wide receiver and in retooling the defense to match Leonhard’s vision for the unit.
At the very least, Chubb is worth a look on the open market, especially one filled with plenty of veteran options who would likely be much more expensive, such as Tren Hendrickson from Cincinnati, or players who lack the proven game-changing ability Chubb carries, such as projected free agents like Arden Key from Tennessee or Yetur Gross-Matos from San Francisco.