Source – Dolphins add veteran Matthew Judon to boost pass rush

Marcel Louis-JacquesAug 18, 2025, 06:12 PM ET

CloseMarcel Louis-Jacques joined ESPN in 2019 as a beat reporter covering the Buffalo Bills, before switching to the Miami Dolphins in 2021. The former Carolina Panthers beat writer for the Charlotte Observer won the APSE award for breaking news and the South Carolina Press Association award for enterprise writing in 2018.

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — The Dolphins agreed to a one-year contract with outside linebacker Matthew Judon on Monday, a source confirmed to ESPN.

The contract is worth up to $6 million, according to multiple reports.

Judon visited the team’s facility Monday, leading to speculation about a potential long-term injury to one of the Dolphins’ top pass rushers. Speaking to reporters Monday afternoon, Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel said the team’s interest in Judon was independent of any injury to Jaelan Phillips, Chop Robinson or Bradley Chubb.

“We’re visiting for the sake of seeing if there’s a situation that both parties would be able to come into an agreement of, ‘Hey, this is a situation that fits,'” he said. “So, visiting for visiting purposes, we’ll see what it leads to.”

Judon joins an outside linebackers room that has been one of the bright spots of training camp. Beyond the top three of Robinson, Chubb and Phillips, Grayson Murphy and Derrick McLendon have both stood out in the team’s two preseason games.

But Judon’s signing makes sense for a Dolphins team whose pass rush depth has been tested in each of the past two seasons.

Last season, the Dolphins ranked 27th in the NFL with 35 sacks — 16 of which came from Robinson and defensive tackle Zach Sieler. But Chubb missed the entire 2024 season, and Phillips missed all but four games.

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Judon, 33, had 5.5 sacks (second on the team) and nine quarterback hits last season with the Atlanta Falcons. It was his first season back from a torn biceps injury that kept him to just four games in 2023. Judon had been one of the top pass rushers in the NFL before that, with 15.5 sacks in 2022 and 12.5 in 2021. He’s a four-time Pro Bowler.

Judon did have four sacks in his final seven games in Atlanta, while being on the field for only 59% of the team’s defensive snaps. Judon was fourth on the team in quarterback pressures (29).

He was acquired by the Falcons last season in a trade with the New England Patriots for a 2025 third-round pick on Aug. 19, 2024. The outside linebacker had been practicing with the Patriots during training camp after a brief absence from the team following a contract dispute.

He has 72 career sacks in nine seasons.

ESPN’s Marc Raimondi contributed to this report.