Does it really matter if Dolphins DL Kenneth Grant changed his body?
There had been rumors of Kenneth Grant body change.
Miami Dolphins coach Jeff Hafley has mentioned it. Grant’s own individual coach Austin Clark mentioned it. And Grant recently mentioned it on Tuesday.
“I’m down about seven pounds, so I’m looking come back into training camp at 325,” Grant said, explaining that he “played a little heavier” at like 337 last year. The biggest change, according to the defensive tackle, was nutrition. “I certainly do feel it,”
To say that the Miami Dolphins’ season hangs on Grant would be a bit of an overstatement. The former Michigan standout bears some of the responsibility for the Dolphins’ lackluster run defense last season, but he certainly wasn’t the sole reason. But after a full offseason that he devoted to changing his body, something done by a renewed focus on “nutrition,” per the 22-year-old, there’s hope that some of the issues that plagued the defensive line in 2025 will have all but dissipated ahead of this year’s campaign.
“The team winning,” Clark responded when asked what does success look like for Grant and his pair of fellow second-year defensive linemen in Jordan Phillips and Zeek Biggers. “That is the mindset that those guys have to have. Now in terms of personal goals, pad leverage, effort, block release and affecting the quarterback. If we can tie all those together, we’ll have what we want.”
The body change piece, however, happens to be a bit overblown. Grant didn’t necessarily look bigger or smaller when he appeared in front of the media on Tuesday. He did, however, pledge that he’s faster and stronger, something evident by his the hand and food speed shown during individual drills.
“I got stronger in the weight room, faster and more explosive,” Grant said. How that translates is rather simple. “I’m more explosive coming out of my stance and getting into blockers.”
Dolphins coach Jeff Hafley has certainly noticed it as well.
“He’s taken a step forward,” Hafley said. “I know he’s changed his body. He’s faster. He looks more like the guy that I saw in his college tape with his lateral quickness, his pass rush ability, his ability to play the run, just the way he’s moving. And I also think that goes back to Year 1, lack of experience, lack of reps, lack of maybe a little bit of confidence as you’re out there. I just feel like right now, he’s starting to believe in himself and his abilities that we know that he has and hopefully once the pads come on, we’ll see that to continue.”
The importance of confidence cannot be overstated. Despite his appearance on 52% of all defensive snaps, Grant’s impact was minimal to say the least. Pro Football Focus ranked the former first-round pick 102nd out of 127 interior defensive lineman. His run defense (108th out of 130) and pass rush (87th out of 112) also leave much to be desired.
Clark, however, wants people to be patient in their analysis of Grant.
“People think you draft a guy in the first round and you come in and you’re this dominant, unblockable force,” Clark said. “I can speak to coaching a bunch of different guys throughout the years, it takes some people longer than others. Last year, those guys were thrust into a lot of snaps based off of necessity, which does help you at this point now, because they’ve played a lot but ultimately what they did last year playing those snaps means nothing if they don’t put in the work and fundamentals of this system.”
Regardless of whether Grant underwent a body change, the only thing that matters will be how he looks once the team dons pads. Everybody looks good in helmets and shorts. Once the contact begins, that will be the best way to evaluate Grant.
