How Dolphins will replace Ogbah and examining how they have replaced others lost for year

What is the breaking point?

How many more season-ending injuries can this Dolphins defense survive?

Defensive end Emmanuel Ogbah became the latest Sunday when an MRI confirmed a torn triceps, an injury that will require season-ending surgery.

“It’s just unfortunate luck this season with regard to health,” Mike McDaniel said, speaking of Ogbah in particular. But the same could be said for his whole defense.

He becomes at least the fifth, and possibly the eighth, Dolphins defender whose season ended prematurely because of a medical issue.

Cornerbacks Nik Needham, Trill Williams and Mackensie Alexander were previously lost for the season, as was safety Brandon Jones.

Cornerback Byron Jones and defensive lineman/linebacker Trey Flowers might miss the season, too, though the Dolphins haven’t said that for sure. McDaniel indicated Monday that Flowers isn’t on the verge of returning. Jones remains out after March leg surgery.

A year ago, the loss of Ogbah would have been considered devastating.

But Ogbah’s production and playing time had dropped this season, and the recent acquisition of Bradley Chubb figures to help compensate for Ogbah’s loss.

Ogbah had only one sack and no pass deflections (compared with nine and 12 last season) and had played 56 percent of Miami’s defensive snaps, compared with 67 percent last season.

The Dolphins are rich in depth with outside linebackers — Chubb, Jaelan Phillips, Melvin Ingram and Andrew Van Ginkel.

Ogbah was only player on the 53-man roster listed as a defensive end. Christian Wilkins and Zach Sieler (who started ahead of Ogbah seven times this season) are listed as tackles but can play as ends depending on the alignment.

But Phillips and Chubb have experience playing as hand-on-the-ground defensive ends, in college, and in Phillips’ case, some snaps this season.

“Typically, when I’m inside on third downs rushing out of three [technique], that’s the only times my hand is in the dirt,” Phillips said Monday. “In terms of pass rush reps, it’s more than 50 percent inside.”

So defensive coordinator Josh Boyer can use that versatility to compensate for Ogbah’s loss.

“It allows us to have three or four ends on the field at once,” Phillips said of the outside linebackers’ ability to play as defensive ends. “Melvin can bump inside too. We can have a package where it’s me and Melvin inside, and Gink and Bradley [outside]. It’s a different look for opposing offenses.”

Keep in mind that Ogbah had played a season-low 25 defensive snaps against Chicago, the Dolphins’ first game after acquiring Chubb, and just 10 against Cleveland before departing for good with the triceps injury.

Fact is, Phillips, Chubb and Wilkins were going to play a lot regardless of Ogbah’s injury. And now Sieler, Ingram and Van Ginkel figure to play even more with Ogbah sidelined.

Van Ginkel has played his highest snaps counts of the season (24 or 25 every week) each of the past four games, beginning with the previous game that Ogbah missed, against Pittsburgh.

Sieler played a season-high 59 snaps in that one game that Ogbah missed. Meanwhile, Ingram’s snap count has been in the mid-30s range, including 34 on Sunday.

Wilkins has been logging high snap counts all season, including 55 of Miami’s 67 defensive snaps against Cleveland (82 percent). Chubb played 44 and Phillips 42 against Cleveland.

To replace Ogbah initially, the Dolphins could elevate practice-squad defensive lineman Ben Stille, who played nine snaps in his only previous appearance, the Steelers game that Ogbah missed. Stille can be elevated twice more without needing to be placed on the 53-man roster.

The Dolphins also plan to bring in defensive end/outside linebacker Brennan Scarlett for a workout and he might be signed to the practice squad. He had 19 tackles in 13 games and four starts for Miami last season but was released (with an injury settlement) after dealing with a foot issue during Dolphins training camp. He’s healthy now.

The ability to overcome season-ending injuries has become an admirable hallmark of this team. Here’s how the Dolphins have compensated for the long-term loss of several others:

▪ Brandon Jones. The Dolphins have missed his blitzing — he led all NFL safeties in sacks last season — but they have held up well in coverage without him.

The Browns did not complete a pass against any of the safeties who replaced Jones on Sunday, throwing one incomplete pass against Eric Rowe (who played 50 defensive snaps), one against Elijah Campbell (six snaps) while attempting no passes against Verone McKinley III (32 snaps).

Rowe and Campbell permitted a modest 41 yards in receptions the previous week against Chicago, with McKinley not playing in that game.

▪ Byron Jones and Needham. Kader Kohou, the undrafted rookie cornerback from Texas A&M Commerce, has been a godsend, permitting just an 87.1 passer rating in his coverage area (30 for 46 for 339 yards and no touchdowns).

That 87.1 passer rating against is 11th best among cornerbacks who have defended at least 40 passes.

Kohou had three pass breakups against Cleveland, including one that ended a Browns drive.

Two of the other fill-in corners also have produced metrics far better than the league average: Though Noah Igbinoghene was inactive Sunday and has had an uneven career, the 68.8 passer rating in his coverage area this season is very good.

And cornerback Justin Bethel — a special teams ace who had played just 61 defensive snaps the previous four seasons — has been very good on defense, permitting a sterling 53.5 passer rating in his coverage area in 2022 (11 for 18, 102 yards and an interception).

After Keion Cossen left late in the first half with a shoulder injury, the Browns targeted Bethel seven times. But even though he allowed four catches, he also made three nice plays in coverage.

So the Dolphins have responded to season-ending injuries better than many teams. They will need to do that again with Ogbah.

“It’s brutal,” Phillips said of losing Miami’s sack leader in 2020 and 2021.