Where Biggers Fits on Defensive Line

The Miami Dolphins already have been bitten by the injury bug this season, but with players slated to miss time, others will get an opportunity to step up. 

In Week 2 against the New England Patriots, one of those players is likely to be rookie seventh-round pick Zeek Biggers. The Georgia Tech product was inactive in Week 1, but an injury to Benito Jones has Biggers as the next man up on the interior of the defensive line. 

Jones injured his oblique and hasn’t participated in practice yet this week. 

Biggers is one of three rookie defensive tackles who likely will see snaps Sunday, joining Kenneth Grant and Jordan Phillips, who made their debuts against the Colts with mixed results. 

What makes Biggers the right player to step up despite his lack of experience? Defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver thinks Biggers’ training camp showed a lot of promise. 

“Zeek, I thought, was growing throughout camp,” Weaver said. “He had some ups and downs along the way. He had some ups, particularly in the joint practices. I thought he did well versus Chicago and Detroit, and then he kind of had something going on with his shoulder, which set him back a little bit, but he’s continued to go out there and work hard every day. 

“I love the potential of him because you can’t teach his size and length, and as soon as he refines his technique to go along with that, which, again, he has vastly improved from when he got there, I think he can be an impact player for us.”

How Big Will Biggers’ Role Be? 

Last week, Jones played just 20 snaps on defense. He took just three in the second half, and none after halfway through the third quarter when he got injured. 

Jones usually occupies the team’s nose tackle spot when he’s on the field, but that’s not the position Biggers usually plays, no matter what some in the media are telling you. 

Biggers played just two nose tackle reps in the preseason and just 20 in his final collegiate season, according to PFF. Instead, it’s more likely that many of Jones’ nose tackle snaps will go to Grant and Phillips. 

Phillips got 18 nose tackle reps against the Colts, and that’s where he played in college. 

Biggers can provide the Dolphins with some value playing as a “big end” in specific personnel packages. His length and quickness can make him difficult to deal with in those scenarios. 

“Zeke definitely has flashed all throughout the preseason for us,” Dolphins defensive line coach Austin Clark told reporters Thursday. “And he's been getting good quality work for us, even last week. I think his length and size are a huge assets to us.” 

Biggers is listed at 6-6, 319, but his length is what likely got him drafted in the first place. His 85-⅛-inch wingspan was in the 98th percentile for prospects at the NFL Combine since 2000, according to mockdraftable’s database. 

When coaches say players have things that you can’t teach, they’re talking about traits like Biggers’ length. We’ll see how much Biggers plays against the Patriots, but it will certainly be important to see how he fits with the rest of Miami’s young interior players.