The adage that "It's not how you start, but how you finish" is very applicable to football, especially NFL football. Having a rough start to a game or practice? One or two big plays to finish the day can make all the difference. For the Miami Dolphins on Day 3 of training camp, it was second-year defensive tackle Kenneth Grant who stepped up late to cap off a strong practice.
According to Dolphins writer Travis Wingfield, Grant finished Friday's practice by winning with a quick swipe move and getting to the quarterback for a sack. "Kenneth Grant closed practice with a sack. Quick pass rush move with an effective swipe. He met Sieler at the QB, defense mugged him."
Grant struggled for much of his rookie season after being selected 13th overall in the 2025 NFL Draft, but his best games came late in the year. According to Pro Football Focus, 14 of his 29 QB pressures came over his final five games. Talk about finishing strong.
The Miami Dolphins need Kenneth Grant to keep progressing if they want to rush the passer well in 2026
There is no denying the physical talent Grant possesses. He moves way more fluidly and explosively than a player his size has any right to, and it's the biggest reason Miami felt he was worth the No. 13 pick. His tape at Michigan had more flashes of brilliance than anything else, but players who move like he does at 335 pounds don't wait long to hear their name called.
Again, Grant did start to get into a rhythm late last season, and his first week of training camp has shown no signs of slowing down that momentum. On top of his would-be sack to finish Day 3, he was credited with a few impressive run stops by Wingfield over the course of the week as well.
His run defense is probably what needs to take the biggest step up compared to his rookie year, but it's his pass rush that the Dolphins desperately need to see show up in 2026. With Chop Robinson the only somewhat proven rusher on the team, getting more interior pressure could be the difference between an average and bottom-tier pass rush.
Fellow second-year defensive tackles Jordan Phillips and Zeek Biggers are much better run defenders than pass rushers, so the pressure (pun intended) falls on Grant to anchor the interior rush. Early on at least, it seems he may be up for the challenge.
Add us as a preferred source on Google