Dolphins Camp Preview: Defensive Line
The Miami Dolphins made a lot of changes this offseason hoping to make the playoffs for the first time since 2017 and win a playoff game for the first time since 2000.
The team hired former 49ers offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel as its head coach, acquired highly touted offensive players like offensive tackle Terron Armstead and Tyreek Hill, and kept their entire 2021 starting defense together.
In order to prepare fans for a pivotal season, we’ve decided to break down each positional group on the roster by giving an outlook for each player, awarding superlatives, and analyzing key questions.
We continue our series with the defensive line.
DOLPHINS DEFENSIVE LINEMAN OUTLOOKS
Emmanuel Ogbah
2021 Stats: 41 tackles, 9 sacks, 9 tackles for loss, 1 forced fumble 12 passes defended, 24 quarterback hits, 61 total quarterback pressures
2022 Outlook: Ogbah returns for his third season in Miami after signing a new four-year deal with the team this offseason. He’s blossomed into an above-average pass rusher since joining the Dolphins, and there is no reason to think that will change this season.
Ogbah’s length, natural power and pass rush technique make him a perfect fit in defensive coordinator Josh Boyer’s scheme. Ogbah will chase double-digit sacks this season, but his ability to get consistent pressure makes him one of Miami’s best defensive players regardless of sack numbers.
Christian Wilkins
2021 Stats: 89 tackles, 4.5 sacks, 10 tackles for loss, 1 forced fumble, 4 passes defended, 13 quarterback hits, 31 total quarterback pressures
2022 Outlook: 2021 was a career season for Wilkins as he eclipsed his career-highs in most significant categories. However, 2022 is an important season for Wilkins as he hopes to earn a long-term contract from the Dolphins after they exercised his fifth-year option for the 2023 season this offseason.
The former first-round pick has gotten better every season since entering the league and has his interior defensive line spot locked down. Wilkins still could look to improve his pass rush production this season while maintaining the high-level run defense he displayed last year.
Zach Sieler
2021 Stats: 62 tackles, 2 sacks, 6 tackles for loss, 1 forced fumble, 3 passes defended, 3 quarterback hits, 23 total quarterback pressures
2022 Outlook: Sieler enjoyed a strong season in 2021, starting nine games on the Dolphins’ interior defensive line. His numbers aren’t overly impressive, but Sieler is a perfect fit for Miami’s defense.
His film shows a capable run defender who is always positioned well to disengage from blockers. This season, Sieler likely will see a fair amount of action but could earn even more snaps if he develops as a pass rusher.
Raekwon Davis
2021 Stats: 28 tackles, 0.5 sacks, 0 forced fumbles, 0 passes defended, 1 tackle for loss, 1 quarterback hit, 5 total quarterback pressures
2022 Outlook: Davis regressed in 2021 as he missed time with an injury early in the season and never found his footing after he returned.
Davis still has an important role in the Dolphins' defense as their primary run-stopping nose tackle, but his run defense left a lot to be desired in 2021. Davis also needs to make himself a more impactful pass rusher this season.
There is a place for Davis to remain on Miami’s roster long term, but he’ll have to play closer to how he did in 2020 to earn it.
Adam Butler
2021 Stats: 17 tackles, 2 sacks, 0 forced fumbles, 3 passes defended, 2 tackles for loss, 5 quarterback hits, 24 total quarterback pressures
2022 Outlook: Last season, Butler primarily functioned as a pass rush specialist with 419 of his 592 snaps coming as a pass rusher.
Butler’s role likely will remain the same this season as Miami brought back all of its defensive starters. If Butler wants to increase the number of snaps he gets this season, he’ll have to prove he can turn pressures into more sacks.
John Jenkins
2021 Stats: Played in 7 games, 16 total tackles, 2 total quarterback pressures
2022 Outlook: Jenkins was inactive for nine games last season, which didn’t leave him much of an opportunity to garner stats.
Jenkins’ role for 2022 likely will be as a depth option on the defensive line with a focus on run defense. He’s a strong player at the point of attack and is capable of two-gapping without giving ground to opposing linemen.
There is always room for those types of players in Miami’s defensive line rotation under the current scheme.
Benito Jones
2021 Stats: Did not play
2022 Outlook: Jones spent all of last season on the practice squad after playing in six games as a UDFA in 2020.
If Jones is going to make the 53-man roster this season, he’ll have to show some pass-rushing prowess. Miami has plenty of players who are capable run defenders, so if Jones is going to stand out, it might have to be by getting after the passer.
Owen Carney
2021 College Stats (Illinois): 44 tackles, 6 sacks, 7.5 tackles for loss
2022 Outlook: Carney signed with the Dolphins as a UDFA following the 2022 NFL draft. He produced solid numbers in college as an outside linebacker and defensive end hybrid.
Since Miami has him listed as a “DL” on its roster, it seems like he’s viewed as a defensive end right now. Carney will have an uphill battle to make the 53-man roster during camp due to Miami’s depth at the position.
Ben Stille
2021 College Stats (Nebraska): 42 total tackles, 1.5 sacks, 6 tackles for loss, 3 passes defended
2022 Outlook: Stille signed with the Dolphins as a UDFA following the 2022 draft. He profiles as another player who is a primary run stopper with limited pass rush upside and production.
If Stille is going to make the 53-man roster, he’ll have to prove he can give the Dolphins more than just adequate run defense. The more likely scenario is he competes for a spot on the practice squad.
Jordan Williams
2021 College Stats (Virginia Tech): 33 total tackles, 4 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks
2022 Outlook: Williams signed with the Dolphins as a UDFA following the 2022 draft. His body type makes it difficult to project where he will compete for a spot on the Dolphins line.
He’s too thin to be a permanent interior lineman but doesn’t have the functional strength to be a long-term defensive end either. Williams’ path to the roster will likely come through him making the team’s practice squad this year.
DOLPHINS DEFENSIVE LINE SUPERLATIVES
Best Pass Rusher: Emmanuel Ogbah
Best Run Defender: Zach Sieler
Breakout Candidate: Christian Wilkins
Most Versatile: Emmanuel Ogbah
Most Underrated: Zach Sieler
KEY DOLPHINS QUESTIONS AT DL
Will Christian Wilkins continue his upward trajectory?
2021 was Wilkins’ best season in the NFL by far since he got drafted in the first round of the 2019 draft out of Clemson. He recorded career highs in tackles, tackles for loss, and sacks last season.
However, Wilkins still has room to get even better in 2021 — primarily as a pass rush threat. Wilkins’ five quarterback hurries ranked 124th in the NFL last season, according to Pro Football Reference.
Wilkins’ run defense is definitely above average, but his pass rush production still needs to get better despite his improvement in 2021. That improvement doesn’t have to come exclusively in the sack department either.
Miami’s defensive scheme is focused on blitzing second-level defenders to create pressure and sacks, especially on third down. Where Wilkins can separate himself in 2022 is by creating pressure on first and second down.
If Wilkins can find more success on those downs in 2022, he’ll put himself in a good position to get a contract extension, and the Dolphins defensive line will reach a new level of effectiveness.
Who Will be Miami’s Primary Nose Tackle in 2022?
The nose tackle position is essential to Miami’s defense and since the Dolphins are keeping Boyer as defensive coordinator, that won’t change this season.
Miami spent a second-round pick on Davis in 2020 hoping he would fill that role for the long term. His rookie season showed he was capable of doing it, but he regressed heavily both when it comes to his stats and his film in 2021.
Other options on Miami’s roster include Sieler, Butler, and Jenkins. Sieler moves around a lot and is the defensive line’s most consistent run defender, so he could fill that role some of the time but not permanently.
Butler saw action at the nose tackle spot, but that was to give him an opportunity to rush the passer on third downs. He’s not going to be in the game taking on two blocks and making run stops very often.
Jenkins has the natural size (weighs 335 pounds) and skill set to play as the nose tackle, but he was inactive for nine games last season.
Whether one player steps up or the Dolphins finds an effective rotation at the position, they need to get more consistent play from the nose tackle spot in 2022.
How will the lack of new players affect the unit?
This question could be asked for almost the entire defense since Miami retained every defensive starter from last season. However, the team did invest in its linebacker group by drafting Channing Tindall in the third round.
The defensive line received no such support in part because the Dolphins traded so many of their picks to Kansas City for Hill.
Miami’s defensive line got strong play from Ogbah, Wilkins and Sieler last season but players like Butler, Davis and Jenkins didn’t have big impacts. That same lack of depth will follow the team into 2022 unless Davis regains his 2020 form while Butler and Jenkins improve their game as veterans.
It does leave the door open for one of Miami’s UDFAs to compete for a primary backup spot, which makes for an interesting camp battle between those players.
The Dolphins made the decision not to enhance its defensive line through free agency or the draft, so they’ll have to rely on internal development, which isn’t a sure thing by any means.
