Dolphins’ first-round pick Grant on his play: ‘I’m pretty unhappy’. The fallout
The plaudits poured in moments after the Dolphins selected Michigan defensive lineman Kenneth Grant 13th overall in April’s draft.
“It’s hard to find guys that big that can run,” NFL Net’s Daniel Jeremiah said.
“I don’t ever remember in all the time that I coached playing against two more dominating guys inside than when we played Michigan with No. 55 and 78 [Mason Graham and Grant],” ESPN analyst and legendary coach Nick Saban said.
“Tremendous player. He can be a potential impact player for us,” Dolphins general manager Chris Grier said.
“He has been on our mind for a long time. We overly, thoroughly vetted him. We jumped on that with elation,” coach Mike McDaniel said.
“He doesn’t even understand how good he is yet,” Fox lead college football analyst Joel Klatt said.
What Grant does understand is this: The first few weeks of his NFL career haven’t met his own or anyone’s expectations.
In three games and two starts, has no tackles for loss, and Pro Football Focus rates him 102nd of 111 interior defenders this season, including 104th against the run.
He has been part of an immensely disappointing defensive front seven that has been culpable in allowing teams to average 32.3 points per game (most in the league) and 4.5 yards per carry, tied for 10th worst.
“I’m pretty unhappy,” he said last week at his locker. “Definitely a lot of things I can fix. There’s good, but there’s also a lot of bad.”
Where is the area where the most improvement is needed?
“I need to be better with my hands,” he said. “I’ve got all the power in the world. But without hands, it kind of makes taking those blocks on hard. I’m just focusing on my hands and hips.”
McDaniel and defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver said this past week that Grant has played somewhat robotic.
Weaver put it this way: “You’ve done the training - when the ball is snapped, it’s time to just go play and say, ‘I know what my job is supposed to be and I’ve got to make a play.’”
The Dolphins allowed 4.4 yards per rush last season, not much different than the current 4.5, but that defensive front controlled the line of scrimmage more with Calais Campbell (now with Arizona) and Da’Shawn Hand (now with the Chargers) and Benito Jones playing alongside Sieler. Now it’s Sieler, Jones, veteran Matthew Butler and rookies Grant and Jordan Phillips.
Miami’s edge rushers also have been deficient against the run this season.
How has Campbell’s departure hurt Sieler and Jones?
“With Calais, he’s been around the game for a long time,” Jones said. “He’s seen all formations. He’s seen a lot and [knows] how [offensive players] going to block [different players]. Calais is someone smart on the field; that’s a good advantage. We’re young. But we are going to get it together. Me and Zach are with the young guys - we are getting them right.”
Jones said for rookie defensive tackles, “the biggest challenge is believing in yourself” and diagnosing plays pre-snap.
“When [offenses] come out of the huddle, [rookies] might not see a tight end down on the line of scrimmage or off the ball,” Jones said. “We’re helping them out, making them play faster. A few more games, and I feel they’ll catch onto it.”
Grant -- who has eight tackles and one batted pass in 120 defensive snaps -- said he is accustomed to dominating in college and “that’s what I hope to get back to, even in practice. I strive for being as dominant as I can. This [past] week I’ve gotten close to that. I’m ready to get out there and show it in a game.”
Roster update
The Dolphins did not announce any transactions on Sunday and opted to wait until Monday’s 4 p.m. deadline to create a spot on the 53-man roster for kicker Riley Patterson, who will be promoted from the practice squad for Monday’s Jets-at-Dolphins game (7:15 p.m., ESPN, CBS 4).
The team also might elevate a defensive back or two at 4 p.m. Monday.
▪ The Dolphins enter Week 4 allowing 32.3 points per game, which is worst in the league.
Though the Dolphins’ defense has more talent than their dreadful statistics would suggest, ESPN’s Ryan Clark said defensive coordinator Weaver “is not going to change who this team is on defense because you don’t have the people to change it.
“You were bringing in defensive backs and corners throughout training camp trying to find combinations that work… This is a team that gets worse as it gets colder. They’re already 0-3. There is no changing who they are.”
This story was originally published September 28, 2025 at 5:15 PM.
