Is Change Coming for Dolphins' Struggling Position Group?

The Miami Dolphins' defensive line hasn’t lived up to expectations this season. More specifically, the team’s interior defensive line has really struggled to stop the run this season. 

Miami is allowing the third-most rushing yards per game (158) and just got gashed by the New York Jets for 197 yards on the ground in Week 4. 

The unit led by Zach Sieler, Benito Jones, along with rookies Kenneth Grant and Jordan Phillips, has been getting pushed around quite a bit so far. Despite the numbers and certain stretches of poor play, Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel insists he sees progress. 

“You're probably driven by the nature of some results,” McDaniel said. “I think within the game, my motivation, my confidence, and growth is simply by the fact that there was exact growth. Namely, there were 75 yards of rushing on the first drive, and outside the scramble by Justin Fields, there were 75 yards given up rushing the rest of the game.” 

“Within the game, you see guys progressing, you know, and realistically it's like, you bring new players in that aren't familiar with what you're asking them to do.” 

We pointed out a similar trend following the Jets’ game, so McDaniel certainly isn’t wrong about the Dolphins’ run defense improving on paper in the second half. But that was also the case against the Bills in Week 3. 

Buffalo ran for 90 of its 157 total rushing yards in the first half before Miami held it to just 67 in the second half. 

Growing Pains

Ultimately, this trend isn’t too surprising, given how many reps the Dolphins are giving to young players in Grant and Phillips. The NFL transition for defensive tackles is a lot harder than some might think. 

The NFL game is much faster, but the competition is much stronger. Grant and Phillips are strong players, but getting used to that on every snap usually takes some time. 

That was always the expectation for the Dolphins, which is why they’re not panicking about the early struggles on the interior. 

“And so the expectation is that it's not avoiding that,” McDaniel said about the young defensive line’s progress. “It's making sure that there is consistent growth from those players and that they're getting better, whether that be within a game or from week to week.” 

Could the Dolphins Add Another Defensive Lineman? 

McDaniel was asked about the prospect of the team potentially adding new players to the rotation, including former Miami Dolphins star Christian Wilkins, who was released by the Raiders before the season. 

McDaniel didn’t really shoot down the notion, but his answer is more coachspeak than anything. 

“Doors are always open,” McDaniel said. “I'm very happy with the progression of what we need from our young guys. And I'm focused on the Panthers and our own guys specifically. But (GM Chris Grier) is always at work, and there's never anything that's closed. But for me, I'm better suited for Panthers and our own player topics.” 

That’s the answer McDaniel is supposed to give, and frankly, adding another defensive lineman at this point in the process doesn’t make a ton of sense. 

The Dolphins spent a first-round pick on Grant and clearly believe in Phillips quite a bit for a fifth-rounder. What’s the benefit of taking playing time away from those players? They won’t get used to the speed of the game from the sidelines. 

“I've seen the investment, the intent, and I know what comes after that, you know, you just everybody always wants it sooner, but at the same time, there is a pattern to all of this, and it's pretty consistent with the development of young players.” 

While it’s fun to think about Wilkins returning to South Florida, the Dolphins are fully aware of the growing pains they’ll have to endure this season. Expecting rookies to come in and dominate right away isn’t realistic. 

The issue for Miami is that if they don’t start showing more consistent progress against the run, the season might become unmanageable.