Miami Dolphins Week 5 Snap Counts ... And What They Mean

Linebacker Jerome Baker had his most impressive outing of the season for the Miami Dolphins in Week 5, and that was reflected by his snap counts.

After playing his fewest snaps since December 2018 against Seattle the previous week, Baker led all Dolphins defensive players with 63 out of 64 against the 49ers.

Baker had a sack against San Francisco and forced a fourth-down incompletion by getting quickly to quarterback C.J. Beathard in the fourth quarter.

The absence of Shaq Lawson, out with a shoulder injury, created more opportunities for different players on defense.

Zach Sieler made his first start of the season at defensive end and played a season-high 44 snaps.

Linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel got 46 snaps, more than twice as many as his previous season high of 20 against Jacksonville. Van Ginkel had a sack that forced a fumble. It marked the third consecutive game he had at least a share of a sack, so don't be surprised if he continues getting a lot of work.

In the secondary, the big story was the return of cornerback Byron Jones, who played the second-most snap on defense with 56. He tied with linebacker Kyle Van Noy and safety Bobby McCain.

With Byron Jones back in the lineup, rookie first-round pick Noah Igbinoghene played a season-low 10 snaps after getting more than 60 snaps each of the previous two weeks.

With the Dolphins comfortably ahead in the fourth quarter, a few young players got some snaps. Linebacker Sam Eguavoen got eight snaps after playing two in the first four games combined. Defensive lineman Tyshun Render also got eight snaps after being elevated from the practice squad Saturday.

The number that stands out offensively was the snap count of tight end Adam Shaheen, who had 38 plays. That was eight more than Mike Gesicki, which makes sense because Shaheen is more of a blocker and the Dolphins were playing without Durham Smythe, who was out with a knee injury.

As has been the case throughout the season, Myles Gaskin easily had the most snaps of any running back with 42, exactly twice as many as those of Matt Breida. Rookie Lynn Bowden Jr. played 10 snaps, including four as a Wildcat quarterback, after making his first NFL start.

Fullback Chandler Cox had his most extensive role yet, playing a season-high 23 snaps on offense.

Because of the score, only three non-specialists failed to play a down on offense or defense — safety Clayton Fejedelem, linebacker Calvin Munson and center Michael Deiter. Fejedelem, of course, had the big run for a first down off a fake punt in the third quarter.

Lastly, we obviously should mention that running back Jordan Howard was a healthy inactive, a noteworthy development five games into the season after he was signed as an unrestricted free agent in the spring.