The Miami Dolphins are preparing to play the New York Giants on Saturday. It will be their second of three preseason games. Kenneth Grant, last year's first-round selection, isn't going to play. Jeff Hafley sees him as week-to-week.
Veteran Zach Sieler has also missed time. The team lists him as day-to-day, but he too will be out this week, per head coach Jeff Hafley. Opportunity is knocking for two second-year tackles, and they are answering that door.
Jordan Phillips and Zeke Biggers are taking advantage of the extra reps in practice, and they have both caught the eye of their head coach. With the Giants' joint practice on Thursday, they will both play a prominent role in that session.
Miami Dolphins head coach sees a lot of potential in Zeke Biggers and Jordan Phillips
Biggers is an interesting player. Hafley spoke on Tuesday about his ability to slide inside and play at the end position.
"I think he is playing really well." Hafley said on Tuesday. "He is doing a good job at tackle, doing a good job in the run and pass, and he is giving us the flexibility to put him at defensive end. I think he has been one of the most consistent guys."
Biggers has consistently made strides week-to-week dating back to last season, and Phillips was also showing consistent improvement toward the end of last season.
Both players are not starters yet, but they are showing the initiative and physicality that Hafley wants on his defense. If either or both players continue to develop, it is a case of Hafley and his coaching staff working on the fundamentals of the game within the system they are installing.
The winners are the Dolphins. We already know what Sieler can do, and Grant should make big improvements once he is back on the field, but it's the depth that has been a concern for the last couple of years.
Chris Grier took a big risk during the 2025 offseason when he gutted the defensive unit by not adding players in free agency and letting others leave. Sieler got the big extension, but Grier spent three total draft picks on DTs, and none of them performed well over the course of an entire season.
It's becoming clear that Hafley is all about the fundamentals of playing the game. Getting Phillips ramped up ahead of the season is great news, but finding the versatility in a late-round draft pick (Biggers) is fortuitous. It's hard to imagine last year's coaching staff seeing the viability of moving him to a true 3-4 defensive end role. So far, he has embraced it.
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