Miami Dolphins: Please give Olivier Vernon his due credit

Miami Dolphins defensive end Olivier Vernon has always been a solid pass rusher, but he’s taken his game to the next level ever since Cameron Wake went down with a season-ending injury earlier this year.

With just two sacks in the first nine games of the regular season, Olivier Vernon’s box scores never looked jaw-dropping or even above the average. But Miami Dolphins fans know just how valuable he has been to the team, and he’s always been one of the NFL’s most underrated pass rushers. Few players in this league are as explosive off of the edge from the 4-3 defensive end position, and Dallas Cowboys well-paid and well-praised left tackle Tyron Smith (who is, by the way, fully deserving of both designations) witnessed that first-hand this afternoon.

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Vernon had just one sack, but he thoroughly whipped one of the NFL’s elite blindside protectors in Tony Romo‘s first game back. He would finish the game with an additional tackle for loss, five tackles in total, and a whopping four quarterback hits. I’m sure Dolphins fans have always appreciated the way in which he quietly puts consistent pressure on quarterbacks as Wake’s less-celebrated partner, but there’s no doubting the fact that they are infinitely more grateful for his work over the past few weeks with Wake out.

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Over the past three seasons, Wake has garnered national attention for being one of the NFL’s best players at any position, but it took a while for the former CFL star to receive his due. Although not as good of a player as Wake, it’s taken Vernon even more time to receive any sort of recognition, but today’s marquee performance against a closely-followed franchise (and offensive line, if you can even believe that) should earn him more plaudits.

While we hear everyone wax poetic about Vernon’s game, those of us who have been wondering just how much a team will pay him will simply say, “Finally.” Finally, people are putting two and two together and realizing that this is what Vernon’s been doing since recording his first sack of the season in Week 6 against the Tennessee Titans.

Is Vernon an elite pass rusher? No. That’s the sort of designation that belongs to someone like, say, Wake. However, you don’t need to be a sure-fire elite defensive end to be an extremely valuable pass rusher, and the fact that Vernon is producing like this without Wake’s help is a testament to his skill-set. Detractors can no longer point to Wake’s presence as a way of marginalizing Vernon’s overall impact, though it would be fair to say that the 25-year-old Miami product needs to kick at least some credit towards Ndamukong Suh.

Most people still look at sacks as the lone way of validating a pass rusher’s impact, so those same fans will consider this entire article a quizzical profile of a player with just three sacks on his resume. That ignores the fact that he’s been one of Pro Football Focus’s top ten pass rushers in Pass Rushing Productivity, which essentially measures pass rushing efficiency by looking at QB hits and pressures, in addition to sacks.

Moreover, Vernon’s impact in run defense goes largely unnoticed, and while the Dolphins didn’t exactly have a banner day in that department by allowing Darren McFadden to roll for 129, Vernon did produce yet another TFL. That gives him nine on the season, and he was already one of the top 20 defenders in that stat coming into today’s game, as per Sporting Charts. To be fair, he’s not the most consistent run defender, but he uses his athleticism to blow up plays.

Vernon now has two of the best performances by a defensive end in back-to-back games, and his current rampage is reminiscent of the tear Wake went on prior to being lost for the remainder of the season. In fact, I’d argue that Vernon has been an All-Pro caliber defensive end this season in his own right, but perhaps the fact that the Dolphins are 21st in points per game allowed and 25th in net yards per pass attempt allowed shrouds his impact.

Yes, the Dolphins stink at defending the pass, but imagine how much worse they would be without the “core three” of Reshad Jones, Suh, and Vernon starring on that side of the ball. Suh and Vernon, in particular, have been the bedrock of this defense, ensuring that the pass rush is the one true, dependable bright spot on this defense whenever this team takes the field.

Nov 13, 2014; Miami Gardens, FL, USA; Miami Dolphins defensive end Olivier Vernon (50) reacts after sacking Buffalo Bills quarterback Kyle Orton (not pictured) during the second half at Sun Life Stadium. The Dolphins won 22-9. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

Set to hit free agency this offseason, you can bet that Vernon won’t be underrated when he puts pen to paper and signs an expensive deal, regardless of whether it’s with the Dolphins or another team.

If the ‘Fins manage to keep him around, then fans in the area already know just how good he is. And if he signs elsewhere? Well, those fans will get to acquaint themselves with a darn good pass rusher and playmaker, and they’ll be excited to have him, even if he’s more Everson Griffen than Wake.

Considering the fact that Griffen is a beast who signed a five-year, $42.5 million at a similar age with a slightly less impressive resume, the type of label Vernon receives is totally up to how the assessor defines this said label.

It’s scary to think that Vernon is just 25, and he’s playing the best ball of his life after notching 18 sacks in the 2013 and 2014 seasons combined.

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Yes, his sack totals have fallen, but without Wake, he’s doing even more of the dirty work and supplying even more of the pressure.

Don’t believe me? Just ask the tackles he’s faced this season, such as Smith and Philadelphia Eagles insanely athletic left tackle Lane Johnson, who is also among the elite players at his positions in this league.