As first reported by ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Jacksonville Jaguars are adding a much-needed piece to their defensive line by signing 10-year NFL veteran Emmanuel Ogbah.

Ogbah was born in Lagos, Nigeria, and moved to Houston at nine years old.

At Oklahoma State, he was named Big 12 Defensive Lineman of the Year in 2014 and Big 12 Co-Defensive Player of the Year in 2015, and he was drafted with the first pick of the second round in 2016 by the Cleveland Browns.

After accruing 12.5 sacks and 122 sacks in three seasons with the Browns, Ogbah recorded 5.5 sacks and 32 tackles in one (Super Bowl-winning) season with the Kansas City Chiefs. He spent the past five seasons with the Miami Dolphins, where he notched 29.5 sacks and 163 tackles.

Defense & Fumbles Table

Def Interceptions Fumbles Tackles Season Age Team Lg Pos G GS Int Yds IntTD Lng PD FF Fmb FR Yds FRTD Sk Comb Solo Ast TFL QBHits Sfty AV Awards
2016 23 CLE NFL RDE/LOLB 16 16 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 5.5 53 28 25 8 16 0 6 2017 24 CLE NFL RDE 10 10 0 0 0 0 6 2 0 1 0 0 4.0 29 18 11 5 5 0 4 2018 25 CLE NFL RDE 14 14 0 0 0 0 8 0 0 1 0 0 3.0 40 24 16 3 8 0 7 2019 26 KAN NFL DE 10 4 0 0 0 0 3 1 0 0 0 0 5.5 32 23 9 6 11 0 3 2020 27 MIA NFL RDE 16 12 0 0 0 0 5 3 0 1 0 0 9.0 42 25 17 6 21 0 8 2021 28 MIA NFL LDE 17 11 0 0 0 0 12 1 0 1 0 0 9.0 41 26 15 9 24 0 7 2022 29 MIA NFL DE 9 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1.0 11 7 4 1 7 0 2 2023 30 MIA NFL NT 15 1 1 5 0 5 2 1 0 0 0 0 5.5 20 7 13 3 9 0 2 2024 31 MIA NFL LB 16 16 1 0 0 0 2 1 0 0 0 0 5.0 49 27 22 9 11 0 9
9 Yrs 123 87 2 5 0 5 41 9 0 4 0 0 47.5 317 185 132 50 112 0 48 17 Game Avg 17 12 0 1 0 5 6 1 0 1 0 0 6.6 44 26 18 7 15 0 7 MIA (5 Yrs) 73 43 2 5 0 5 21 6 0 2 0 0 29.5 163 92 71 28 72 0 28 CLE (3 Yrs) 40 40 0 0 0 0 17 2 0 2 0 0 12.5 122 70 52 16 29 0 17 KAN (1 Yr) 10 4 0 0 0 0 3 1 0 0 0 0 5.5 32 23 9 6 11 0 3

With 47.5 career sacks, Ogbah is exactly what the doctor ordered.

The Jaguars boast one of the NFL’s best defensive end duos in Josh Hines-Allen and Travon Walker — but there’s not much to get excited about beyond that. Jacksonville struggled to stop the run and pressure the quarterback when one or both were off the field in 2024.

Recent sixth-round draft pick Jalen McLeod and a handful of undrafted free agents could help bolster the Jaguars’ pass rush, but those were the only additions made this offseason. 0 of Jacksonville’s 11 free agent signees (before today) play on the defensive line.

“The board always falls certain ways,” general manager James Gladstone said following the 2025 NFL Draft. “You’re not going to reach because of what might be a perceived need.

“You’ll see us make some moves here in the near future that will, in fact, address [the defensive line]. Obviously our undrafted college free agents haven’t been announced, but those positions were certainly close to filled there, and we’ll look towards the pro free agent landscape as well.”

All of our 2025 NFL Draft content covering the Jacksonville Jaguars is available HERE.

What are your thoughts on the Ogbah signing, Jaguars fans? Let us know in the comments below!