MIAMI GARDENS — Emmanuel Ogbah was out there on the Miami Dolphins’ practice field Thursday, making plays. Everything seemed right in the world.

Until you noticed his jersey. It wasn’t just the color, orange, symbolic of the practice player of the day from the previous workout. Rather, it was his number, 51, symbolic of the new world Emmanuel Ogbah lives in.

Jaelan Phillips and Bradley Chubb remain out indefinitely and Shaq Barrett definitely remains out for good, so the Dolphins turned to Ogbah this week.

More: Contract dispute, hold-in keeps Miami Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa out of practice for second day

They need help on the edge.

He needs another chance to prove he still has a winning edge.

“Unfinished business,” Ogbah said.

What kind of unfinished business, exactly?

“Unfinished business,” he repeated. “We’ll see.”

It appeared Emmanuel Ogbah's Dolphins career was over

It’s not difficult to take a shot at what Ogbah didn’t wish to say, which is that he couldn’t bear to see the last chapter of his Dolphins career read the way it read until a few days ago.

He didn’t want it to end as a bit player who made something of the crumbs coaches gave him last year, playing only 246 snaps in Vic Fangio’s system. Although he said, “I know what I’m capable of” during the season, he had to wonder if others still knew it.

Once the season ended, it was a mere formality that the Dolphins would release Ogbah rather than absorb a $17.7 million cap hit for a player who’d given them 5.5 sacks. As he cleaned out his locker after the playoff loss to Kansas City, it was obvious he was saying farewell to Miami Gardens … right?

“I honestly wouldn’t have believed it,” Ogbah said of this new opportunity.

At least one teammate isn't shocked.

"I wasn’t necessarily surprised," safety Jevon Holland said. "I was excited. Like he should be here. He’s a hell of a player, so I’m just glad he’s back.”

Ogbah, who will turn 31 in November, is due to make only $3.1 million this season. The last time he was making under market value for a veteran pass rusher, he gave Miami back-to-back nine-sack seasons and was handed a $65 million contract. It would be optimistic to expect nine sacks this year, especially once Phillips and Chubb round back into form, but that orange jersey offers a hint that the Ogbah the Dolphins just signed is one motivated to prove a point once again.

“I had all the time in the world just to get ready, mentally prepared, physically prepared, just to get ready for this season,” he said. “I didn’t know where I was going to be, but I’m just happy to be here.”

Ogbah said it came down to Miami and one other unnamed team that showed interest in him. He already kept his place in Davie, so the decision wasn’t difficult.

“I live and train down here, so I wasn’t far,” he said.

Anthony Weaver testing Ogbah's versatility

Whereas Fangio didn’t use him, new coordinator Anthony Weaver seems ready to squeeze some mileage out of Ogbah.

“I don’t have a specific spot, you know, so I’m everywhere,” he said. “On the D-line, OLB. So I’m just ready to play whatever they need me to do.”

He wouldn’t be Ogbah if he can’t put his hand down, dig his cleats in, sack the quarterback if he can and bat down a pass if he can’t. Few players mastered the knack of timing his leaps to maximize his height (6-feet-4) and break up passes.

Taking care of business, he might say.

Dolphins reporter Hal Habib can be reached at  hhabib@pbpost.com. Follow him on social media @gunnerhal. Click here to subscribe.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Miami Dolphins' Emmanuel Ogbah returns to take care of ‘unfinished business'