Christian Wilkins, Zach Sieler anchoring middle of Dolphins defense with larger workloads
Christian Wilkins was behind the line of scrimmage and more than 10 yards from wide receiver Jauan Jennings when he caught a pass in the flat during the second quarter of the Dolphins’ Week 13 loss to the San Francisco 49ers.
Wilkins was one of the unlikeliest players to make a play on the ball. And yet, there was Wilkins, barreling down on Jennings as he cut back alongside the sideline, slamming every bit of his 310-pound frame on the pass-catcher, jarring the ball loose.
“The thing that really separates him is his passion for the game, how hard he plays,” Rodney Harrison, former NFL safety and current commentator for NBC’s “Football Night in America,” said last week. “This guy is 6-4, 315 pounds and he’s making plays 30 yards down the field. This is the type of guy you need if you want to change the culture of your locker room. I love me some Christian Wilkins.”
It’s the type of play that not only defined Wilkins but his partner and good friend on the defensive line, Zach Sieler, as the two have taken on larger workloads but still produced at arguably the highest level of their careers this season.
After playing about 67 percent of the defensive snaps in his first three seasons, Wilkins is now playing 81 percent of the snaps.
Sieler, a rotational player who never exceeded more than 52 percent of the defensive snaps in his first four seasons, is now playing a career-high 74 percent of the defensive snaps. Both rank top 12 in snaps among interior defensive linemen, according to Pro Football Focus; only the Chiefs’ Chris Jones and Giants’ Dexter Lawrence have played more snaps than Wilkins.
The increase coincides with the season-ending triceps injury to defensive end Emmanuel Ogbah in Week 10. In the past three games, both Wilkins and Sieler have averaged 62 snaps per game.
Sieler told the Miami Herald that Ogbah’s injury didn’t spur a conversation from the coaching staff about them needing to play more snaps, but it was just another example of their “next man up mentality” as injuries have cut into the defense’s depth.
Nonetheless, it has been welcomed on a defense that has improved from early-season struggles. Wilkins, who has recorded a tackle for loss in six consecutive games, set a career-high last season with 89 combined tackles but is on pace for close to 100 stops in his fourth season. Sieler has started a season-high 11 games this season and is 10 tackles away from surpassing last season’s career-high mark of 53 tackles.
“I think it’s a testament to both of them, their physical condition,” defensive coordinator Josh Boyer said. “Not only are you capable of playing them that many plays, you can see them playing plays late in the game and they’re running 20 yards down the fields to finish on plays.”
Both Wilkins and Sieler are the longest-tenured Dolphins on the defensive line, joining the team in 2019, Wilkins as the No. 13 overall pick in the 2019 Draft and Sieler as one of the team’s best waiver pickups in recent memory. Through the years, the two have not only bonded on the field — they frequently watch film together and work on technique after practice — but off the field.
“It’s just kind of knowing how each other plays,” Sieler said. “We all feed off each other.”
For Wilkins, it’s the continued progression of a player who has not only developed into one of the league’s best interior linemen but a team leader since he entered the league.
“Christian Wilkins is a total pro. I love working with the guy,” defensive line coach Austin Clark said. “I think the way he approaches his preparation is the best of anybody I’ve ever been around, and I think football and succeeding in this game is very important to him. And he likes to have fun doing it. I know you guys see a lighter side, but there’s a side to him on the practice field, too, that [is] the want to get it right, to not repeat errors. He’s been very disruptive and most importantly it’s his motor. Running to the football and his teammates, seeing the way he runs to the football, that’s important to him. And I think that’s a trait in him that he’s always had. That’s a credit to him and he’s gotten better each game and hopefully he can get better like he has each week on Sunday.”
Sieler said he hasn’t done anything special after games to recover from his high number of snaps — cold tubs and NormaTec boots, which massage the legs and improve circulation, are all part of the process.
“I think the No. 1 thing — and I know it’s cliché — is sleep. 100 percent,” he said.
“They’re making a statement to the world and letting them know that they’re prepared for the amount of snaps that they’ve been getting,” defensive lineman John Jenkins said. “And they’ve actually been productive. Some guys, you see those type of snaps, they’re not productive throughout the game, and it’s nice to see that.”
