Could There Be a Breakout Star on the Defensive Line for the Dolphins in 2026?
For the last few weeks, we’ve talked about the offensive side of the ball for the Miami Dolphins heading into the 2026 season. However, the defensive side of the ball has the potential to be the focal point of the 2026 Miami Dolphins, and it realistically should be. Bringing in a defensive-minded head coach in Jeff Hafley and having a much higher baseline than what the offense has right now could lead to some unexpected success in South Beach this season. So let’s take a look at the room with the most potential on the Dolphins’ defense: the defensive line room.
Who Can Become the Next Sack Man in Miami?
Over the past few seasons, the Dolphins' pass rush has been in the top 10 for total sacks since 2020, sacking opposing quarterbacks 259 times over those five seasons. The big issue here is that Miami had its worst statistical season in the last five years, only recording 39 sacks, and this pass rush is now without key players like Bradley Chubb and Jaelan Phillips off the edge. Set to replace them full-time are the former Penn State product Chop Robinson and the former Patriots’ second-rounder Josh Uche. Neither player has had the sustained success warranted by their draft position so far, but the upside is certainly there, especially with Robinson. We saw it during his rookie campaign, the former first-round pick recording a sack in six of his final 10 games in 2024. The main issue with Robinson is the ability to stay healthy, missing parts of last season due to concussions alongside being a complete liability in the run game. For Uche, it’s a different story. The former Wolverine had his breakout season in 2022, posting 11.5 sacks for the Patriots. After that, it was back to the expected for Uche, with only six sacks in his last four seasons, much of that due to a lack of opportunity, with only 244 snaps in 2025. The depth behind them isn’t much better statistically, with nobody recording more than five sacks in their career.
Can the Dolphins’ Defense Toughen Up Against the Run?
Unlike the edge room, the interior defensive linemen for Miami have a lot more to look forward to. Zach Sieler headlines the room as one of the more underrated defensive tackles in the NFL with 25.5 sacks over his last three seasons. Behind him, a pair of second-year defensive tackles in Kenneth Grant and Jordan Phillips. Both headliners of the Dolphins’ 2025 draft class, Phillips and Grant have already made strides during OTA’s earlier this offseason, and they’re going to have to do so alongside the rest of this room if this defensive line can produce to its fullest extent.
Miami had the worst defense against the run last year, giving up 174.2 yards per game. Plus, a lot of that was based on the pair of rookies garnering over half the defensive snaps in 2025. I do think a stronger version of both Grant and Phillips, along with the 2023 and 2024 versions of Zach Sieler, can improve the Dolphins’ run defense this season. As well with the bringing in the mastermind behind the Packers’ 11th-ranked run defense from a season ago would help.
