How Biggers Earned Himself a (Hum) Bigger Role

Needing help up front, the Miami Dolphins made defensive tackle a focal point of their 2025 draft strategy.

Miami used a seventh-round pick on Zeek Biggers, their third defensive tackle of the draft after selecting Kenneth Grant at No. 13 overall and adding Jordan Phillips in the fifth round.

After spending most of the season buried on the depth chart, Biggers broke out with seven tackles in Madrid against the Washington Commanders. He had four solo tackles and three stops, which were second on the team to Jordyn Brooks’ six, according to Pro Football Focus.

Week 11 was the second straight game Biggers played at least 18 snaps, but only the third appearance of his rookie season. While his role has been limited on game days, defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver sees a player who’s improving every week.

“I think you saw his growth and maturation each week of this season,” Weaver said Monday. “Obviously, he wasn’t getting reps with the starters on defense, but where you saw that growth and maturation was on the show team. And the way he was competing and the way he was making plays against our offense, so it’s a tale you see over and over again.”

Biggers has only appeared in three games but has made the most of his 48 defensive snaps, debuting in Week 2 with six snaps in Miami’s 33–27 loss against New England before returning in Week 10 with two tackles on 19 snaps against Buffalo.

“Some guys are put on essentially the show team, or practice squad, and they take that as a negative,” Weaver said. “What I’ve always said is that you’re not a show team, you’re not on a practice squad, you are on a developmental squad, so as long as you continue to develop and make plays, coaches will notice, and you’ll earn the right to go play on Sunday. 

“That’s exactly what Zeek did. He attacked every day with that mindset and put forth all the work with Coach [Austin] Clark and Coach [Kynjee’] Cotton, and we’ve seen the benefits of that. He’s been able to go out on Sunday and be impactful for us.”

Biggers’ Path to Playing Time 

As a seventh-round pick, Biggers hasn’t been a featured piece of the defensive game plan but is slowly gaining the coaching staff’s trust and carving out a spot in the defensive tackle rotation. 

Biggers’ six snaps in Week 2 came when Benito Jones was unable to play due to an oblique injury. He returned to the lineup in Week 10, when Grant played fewer than 30 snaps for just the fourth time this season. Zach Sieler was also limited throughout the week leading up to the game with a shoulder injury, but he still played nearly 70 percent of Miami’s defensive snaps in the win.

With three tackles, two quarterback hurries, and a stop against Buffalo, Biggers outsnapped 2022 fifth-round pick Matthew Butler 19-17 as the team’s fifth defensive tackle. 

Biggers carried that momentum into Week 11 against Washington, logging a season-high 23 snaps while Butler, who had averaged 18 snaps through the first 10 weeks, was a healthy scratch for the first time.

Not only is Biggers climbing up the depth chart, but he also saw an extended look with Jones limited to just 17 snaps due to an ankle injury. Looking ahead to Week 13, Biggers’ role may continue to grow against the New Orleans Saints, especially if Jones remains limited by his injury.