Dolphins claim former Packers defensive lineman
The Miami Dolphins added to the team’s relatively thin defensive front by claiming a defensive lineman who spent the past two seasons on Jeff Hafley’s Green Bay Packers defense.
James Ester, who started 49 games for Northern Illinois during his collegiate career, was claimed off the waiver wire on Thursday. Before joining the Dolphins he spent the past two seasons with the Packers, the organization Dolphins general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan and Hafley, the Dolphins’ newly hired head coach, are from.
However, Ester hasn’t played in an NFL game during his two seasons on the Packers practice squad.
In college Ester served as a defensive tackle, contributing 121 tackles (20 for loss), nine sacks and one interception in his five seasons. But in Miami the 6-foot-3, 289-pounder might be used as an edge setter because that’s where the Dolphins need the most help.
Edge setting is necessary to produce a stout run defense because it prevents teams from running the ball outside the tackles.
Last season only six teams - Cincinnati, the New York Giants and Jets, Washington, Buffalo and Chicago - allowed more running yards per game (132.4) than the Dolphins.
Four of those teams - Giants, Bengals, Bills and Bears - had a worse yards per carry allowed average (4.8) than Miami, each allowing more than 5 yards per attempt.
The hope is that Miami finds a way to make forward progress with the defensive front, but that will likely require adding bigger defensive linemen who can work as defensive ends in a 4-3, or 3-4 front.
Chop Robinson, Josh Uche, David Ojabo, Robert Beal Jr., Cameron Goode, Seth Coleman, and rookies Trey Moore, Max Llewellyn, Mason Reiger and Rodney McGraw are all in the mix for the starting edge roles in the 4-3 defensive front Miami plans to use in year one of Hafley’s defense.
Zach Sieler, Kenneth Grant, a 2025 first round pick, Jordan Phillips, a 2025 fifth-round pick, and Zeek Biggers, a 2025 seventh-round pick, are viewed as Miami’s top defensive tackles. Behind them is Matthew Butler, Alex Huntley, Keith Cooper Jr., and Kahlil Saunders and Rene Konga, two undrafted rookies signed last week, and now Ester.
This story was originally published May 14, 2026 at 6:25 PM.
