Dolphins bring in d-tackles. Hafley discusses Grant, Sieler, safeties, more
News notes: De’Von Achane, who has said he would like a new contract, was the only player who did not attend the start of the team’s voluntary offseason program. Isaiah Smalls will have a story on that soon.
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The Dolphins need overhauls at multiple positions. But new general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan apparently doesn’t believe that defensive tackle is one of them.
Sullivan said he’s “very happy with our defensive line. I like our young defensive tackle room. Jordan Phillips [Kenneth] Grant, [Zeek] Biggers. I like Zach [Sieler] obviously; he’s a good, established player. I like our defensive line. We will continue to add to that.”
Coach Jeff Hafley said Tuesday that he agrees with that.
“I thought they did a nice job for not having a lot of experience,” Hafley said at a news conference after the first day of the team’s offseason program.
He praised Kenneth Grant and said Zach Sieler is “really good in the run game, extremely versatile. The way he understands protection and which way to slide and who to go after. That’s so valuable and a lot of teams don’t have guys that do that. He’s also such a selfless player. He will be setting up games for other guys to make plays. I’m glad he’s here. He has a cool way about him.”
Nevertheless, the Dolphins have used at least two of their maximum 30 permitted pre-draft visits on two projected second-round defensive tackles: Ohio State’s Kayden McDonald and Georgia’s Cristen Miller.
Miller had 1.5 sacks and four tackles for loss last season, while McDonald had nine and three.
ESPN’s Field Yates slotted McDonald 36th and Miller 44th in his most recent mock draft.
What’s clear is that the Dolphins’ defensive line last season didn’t generate enough pass rush and wasn’t good enough against the run; Miami allowed 4.8 yards per carry, which tied for fourth-worst in the league. (Miami’s edge players shoulder a large part of the blame for that.)
So Sullivan’s optimistic comments about the line and Grant were notable, because Grant – last year’s No. 13 overall pick – had an underwhelming rookie season and said in January that his play did not meet his standards.
Pro Football Focus ranked Grant 103rd among 129 defensive tackles, and he finished with just two sacks and two tackles for loss (and 33 tackles overall) in 554 defensive snaps over 17 games and five starts.
As a run defender, PFF rated him 107th among 126 defensive tackles. But Grant disputes that, saying he’s “pretty good” as a run defender, though he admits “there are definitely a lot of things to fix.”
As a pass rusher, Grant showed promise at times, finishing with 29 pressures in 332 pass-rushing snaps. “I’ve got to take things from practice to the game,” he said.
Asked Tuesday what he likes about Grant’s game, Hafley said: “Kenneth got better as the year went on. Do I like what I saw on tape? Sure. Like any other position, I want to see it more and with my own eyes and I want to see it consistently. Time will tell.”
More from Hafley
▪ The Dolphins have only two safeties with more than one year of experience - veteran Lonnie Johnson (on his seventh team in five years) and former Packers safety Zayne Anderson, who has played only 145 defensive snaps over five seasons, all coming in Hafley’s two years as Green Bay’s defensive coordinator.
Hafley said Johnson ”has played a lot of football. He’s bigger than I thought. He has some versatility.”
He said Anderson “started [two games in 2024], made some big plays for us. One of the best special teams contributors on the team. He was injured a little bit. He gives you everything he has. Tough, physical, studies the game. He will be a great teammate. The biggest compliment I can give him is I trust him.”
▪ Hafley said consultant Troy Aikman, the ESPN analyst, “has been a good sounding board. He’s a guy I’ve talked to a few times. Had some really good conversations. I’ll continue to do that.”
▪ Why did he and Sullivan decide to keep linebackers Tyrel Dodson and re-sign Willie Gay Jr.? “The way they play. Physicality, toughness. There’s some talent in that room, some pieces there.”
Draft talk
Besides Miller’s upcoming visit, another impending visit that came to light on Tuesday was Oklahoma edge rusher R Mason Thomas, who had 12.5 tackles for loss and nine sacks in 2024 and nine tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks last season, when he dealt with injuries.
Though Thomas has widely been projected a second-round pick, ESPN’s Yates mocked him 20th, adding that “Thomas is my type of football player as an explosive, powerful and relentless pass rusher. Plus, he has heavy hands and a nasty attitude when defending the run (21 run stops over the past two seasons).”
Thomas doesn’t count toward Miami’s 30 maximum visits because he attended high school in South Florida, at Cardinal Gibbons in Fort Lauderdale.
As for the 6-4, 321-pound Miller, NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein said: “Miller is an even-front nose tackle who can rattle pads and gain early advantages at the point of attack. He has good stack-and-shed against single blocks but lacks the prototypical mass of a space-eater…. He’ll continue to bulk up and should become a good starter who is more consistent than dominant along the interior.”
▪ Per a source, LSU cornerback Mansoor Delane, LSU safety AJ Haulcy and Georgia State receiver Ted Hurst were all at Dolphins headquarters on Tuesday, meeting with Dolphins coaches and executives as part of their “30” pre-draft visits.
Delane is a strong option with Miami’s pick at No. 11 (if available), while Haulcy and Hurst are projected as second-day picks.
Here’s my Tuesday piece with notes and feedback on the cornerbacks potentially in play for Miami on the first two days of the draft (April 23-24).
This story was originally published April 7, 2026 at 1:30 PM.
