The Miami Dolphins have quietly built a fearsome front seven
Interior Defensive Line
| Player | Year |
|---|---|
| Zach Sieler | 2019 |
| Christian Wilkins | 2019 |
| Raekwon Davis | 2020 |
| Benito Jones | 2020 |
| John Jenkins | 2021 |
| Adam Butler | 2021 |
| Jerome Johnson | 2021 |
Before we go any further, it is worth noting that Miami deploys a multitude of fronts. It is never as simple as just labeling one play interior and another an edge. These players will move up and down the line depending on the defensive play call. They are categorized based off where they spend the most time on average through the season.
With that out of the way, this interior group has the potential to be one of the better groups in all of football. Like the edge rushers, there is no premier name that stands out. The Dolphins have elected to draft and develop young players over paying big names. For that reason, they don’t get as much respect as they probably deserve.
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The three big names that figure to lead this group for the next couple seasons are Christian Wilkins, Zach Sieler and who could forget, Raekwon Davis. Wilkins may not have lived up to his #13 overall selection quite yet, but he’s working to change that. Zach Sieler was quietly one of the best interior defenders the second half of 2020, and Raekwon Davis absolutely exploded onto the scene as a rookie last season. None of the three have been dominant pass rushers-yet-but they are all extremely talented run defenders.
The two newcomers that are likely to get a lot of snaps are John Jenkins (not really a newcomer) and Adam Butler. Adam Butler, who is likely to be Miami’s best interior rusher in 2021, has looked especially impressive so far in camp. John Jenkins is also a high level run defender and can play a true zero technique to spell Raekwon Davis. Benito Jones and Jerome Johnson aren’t likely to make big splashes this season, but who knows?