And Yet Another Defensive Lineman Addition
More evidence about the Miami Dolphins' strength-in-numbers approach to their defensive line.
The team agreed to terms with yet another under-the-radar defensive tackle Thursday night, this time Jonathan Harris from the Denver Broncos.
Harris becomes the fifth new defensive tackle added to the Dolphins roster over the past two weeks, and like Benito Jones before him he became an unrestricted free agent after his team failed to extend a qualifying offer to him as a restricted free agent — a situation that makes him a non-compensatory free agent.
Harris' NFL career featured 33 games and nine starts, all of them over the past two seasons with the Broncos, who he joined after entering the league with the Chicago Bears in 2019 as a rookie free agent from Lindenwood.
After a season when their defense was among the worst in the NFL — lowlighted by what the Dolphins did to them in that 70-20 massacre in Week 3 — the Broncos are starting over on their D-line.
Harris played a career-high 529 defensive snaps last season and recorded the only sack of his career — in a 22-17 loss against Houston.
COMPETITION ON THE DOLPHINS D-LINE
Along with Jones and Harris, the Dolphins also added over the past two weeks defensive linemen Isaiah Mack, Daviyon Nixon and Neville Gallimore, along with re-signing UFA Da'Shawn Hand.
As it stands right now, those five and 2023 rookie free agent Brandon Pili figure to be involved in a free-for-all for playing time and a major role alongside Zach Sieler and obviously not all of them will make the 53-man roster.
But the game plan here clearly seems to be to bring as much competition as possible to find the best way to replace Christian Wilkins and all the snaps he played last season along with Sieler, with the additional hope that one of the unheralded additions — Gallimore is the one who flashed the most before joining the Dolphins — can emerge as a significant contributor the defense.
And now it's Jonathan Harris' turn to get thrown into the mix.
