Miami Dolphins coach reveals a metaphorical approach to a common roster concern ahead of the 2024 season
The Miami Dolphins suffered a significant roster loss this offseason when DT Christian Wilkins left town and signed with the Las Vegas Raiders on a 4-year, $110 million contract. Wilkins' departure left a gaping hole right at the front of the Dolphins' defense. Granted, Zach Sieler, who got paid before the 2023 season, is still […]
The Miami Dolphins suffered a significant roster loss this offseason when DT Christian Wilkins left town and signed with the Las Vegas Raiders on a 4-year, $110 million contract. Wilkins' departure left a gaping hole right at the front of the Dolphins' defense.
Granted, Zach Sieler, who got paid before the 2023 season, is still on the roster and will be counted on to continue his solid level of play in 2024. However, the roster is now replete with a large collection of experienced, but unimpressive list of players looking to earn the starting job. That list includes Teair Tart, Neville Gallimore, Jonathan Harris, Benito Jones, and Da'Shawn Hand, who have been signed by Miami this offseason.
However, new defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver sees an opportunity to use his defensive line in a way that he can relate to – in waves. Weaver met with the media on Wednesday and explained his philosophy on using his defensive linemen.
“Yeah, it’s kind of like the tsunami approach," Weaver said. "I’m half-Samoan, I lived in Hawaii for a little while. They always say the first wave of the tsunami does damage, but the second wave does the most damage. So for me, sometimes people get overly concerned about who is starting the football games – that means nothing to me. I want to know who is finishing the football games. I think you’ve got your best chance at finishing football games when guys are fresh. You can’t do that at every position – particularly when there are bigs out there running around in this heat, you’re going to want to rotate them a little bit.”
That's a pretty good way of looking at it, as far as being able to finish games with fresher bodies and bring players in routinely in waves. That's not exactly a philosophy Miami had employed before, but then again, it's hard to take Christian Wilkins and Zach Sieler off the field. They're simply that much better than the guys who were behind them. While Sieler is still here, that's not the case anymore for one defensive tackle spot.
We'll see starting in July when training camp begins who will end up earning the starting spots and those rotational roles that Weaver speaks of. After all, it doesn't appear that Miami has anyone on the roster who's more impactful than a tsunami wave.
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