With the start of the new league year approaching, **Dolphins.com** continues a series of free agency previews with interior defensive linemen.
Dolphins Status
The Dolphins ended the season with a good mix of veterans and young players at this position, although in-season acquisitions **Sylvester Williams** and **Ziggy Hood** both are scheduled to become unrestricted free agents.
The other veteran in the group is **Akeem Spence**, who started all 16 games in 2018 after coming over in a trade with the Detroit Lions. The other starter last year was **Davon Godchaux**, who will be heading into his third season with the Dolphins.
Also on the roster are **Kendrick Norton**, **Jamiyus Pittman** and **Vincent Taylor**, who was impressive in a backup role last season before ending up on injured reserve because of a foot injury.
Notable Free Agents at the Position
- Allen Bailey, Kansas City Chiefs: The former University of Miami standout has been a fixture on the Chiefs defensive line since being a third-round pick in 2011. While he's known more as a run defender, Bailey had a career-high six sacks in 2018 when he started 13 games. He can play defensive tackle in a 4-3 or end in a 3-4.
- Malcom Brown, New England Patriots: Brown started 51 games over the past four seasons after the Patriots made him a first-round pick in 2015, but they declined to pick up his fifth-year option, thus making him a free agent. Brown is known as a run-stopping specialist.
- Johnathan Hankins, Oakland Raiders: The former Ohio State standout started 14 games for the Raiders last season after playing for the Giants from 2013-16 and the Colts in 2017. While he had seven sacks in 2014, Hankins is more of a run defender.
- Grady Jarrett, Atlanta Falcons: Jarrett has gone from a fifth-round pick out of Clemson in 2015 into a solid NFL starter. He's coming off a 2018 season where he started 14 games and had a career-high six sacks.
- Sheldon Richardson, Minnesota Vikings: The 13th overall pick in the 2013 draft, Richardson has played for a different team each of the past three seasons. After his fourth season with the Jets in 2016, he played for the Seahawks in 2017 before starting 16 games for the Vikings last season. He's got 23.5 career sacks, including eight for the Jets in 2014 and 4.5 in 2018.
- Danny Shelton, New England Patriots: Shelton was part of New England's defensive line rotation last season after the Patriots acquired the former first-round pick from the Cleveland Browns.
- Ndamukong Suh, L.A. Rams: The former Dolphins starter spent the 2018 season with the Rams after signing a one-year deal. Suh has never missed a game because of injury since entering the NFL as the second overall pick in 2010.
