New Miami Dolphins defensive coordinator Sean Duggan wants to be “multiple”.

During his introductory press conference with the South Florida media on Wednesday, Duggan talked at great length about a great number of things. One of the commonalities with Duggan’s press conference was the idea that Miami’s defense under his watch alongside head coach Jeff Hafley would be tailored to who they have, but also multiple. That means multiple fronts, multiple coverages, and multiple looks. The big question with that goal is how the current pieces of the Dolphins’ defense fit into the vision. In particular, Miami’s three rookie defensive tackles could be long-term pieces if they can fill multiple roles in different fronts.

And so the question begs to be asked: How multiple can Miami’s three young defensive tackles be?

How diverse are Miami’s three second-year defensive tackles to fit Jeff Hafley & Sean Duggan’s scheme hopes?

Defensive tackle Kenneth Grant – 2025 first round pick

Grant was off to a slow start in 2025. The first month of the season was filled with growing pains for not just the first-round pick but also the entirety of Miami’s front seven. Both the front and Grant settled in around mid-October. Grant has the size of an A-gap defender but the athleticism and twitchiness of a B-gap defender. Miami’s front under Anthony Weaver was often a gap control unit, which tasked the defensive line to stack up and read blocks before discarding opponents and making plays at the line of scrimmage.

That helped to fuel some of Grant’s growing pains as a rookie and cut down on opportunities for all comers up front to make splash plays in the backfield. Grant’s quickness and size should allow him to play anywhere from a 5-technique over top of tackles and play as an odd front end to playing as a 1-tech in the A-gap or a 3-tech in the B-gap and play a more penetration-oriented role. This passage from my 2025 NFL Draft report on Grant comes to mind:

“(Grant) has versatility in whether he’s playing in gap penetration or gap control fronts; he should be considered a scheme-transcendent option to play in odd or even fronts. His ability to anchor and reset will be a valuable cog to any team’s run defense, and Grant should be afforded the opportunity to develop more as a pass rusher. I would keep his playing weight north of 320 and lean into his dominant power and natural athleticism at that stature; it is more than enough to win at the next level in the roles he’s filling at Michigan.”

Defensive tackle Jordan Phillips – 2025 fifth round pick

Phillips played twice as many snaps in the A-gap last year (121) than Kenneth Grant did (60). But Grant pushed out over top of tackles (4-i & 5-tech) significantly more (just 7 snaps there for Phillips in 2025). Phillips is a brick house of a human being who did get a promising stamp of approval from Hafley during a brief exchange caught on a microphone shortly after the head coach’s introductory press conference to the media.

“I loved your game coming out. You play the game the right way,” Hafley told Phillips.

That quip should be considered good news for a player who has initial quickness but lacks some of the length that could help him quickly discard of hands and create wins as a penetration player. I’m not sure Phillips has the alignment versatility needed to play up and down the front like Grant does — but his athletic profile and tape at both Maryland and last season do show a player physically capable of quickly shooting an interior gap. Whether Miami is in an odd front or an even front, expect Phillips lingering between the guards.

Defensive tackle Zeek Biggers – 2025 seventh round pick

Biggers is the inverse of Phillips. Grant is still, far and away, the best “do it all” option — hence why he got drafted early. Phillips is predominantly a B-gap to B-gap player. Biggers took just 9 snaps in the A-gaps all season long. He’s not a nose tackle by any means. What he is? That would be an impressive mix of length, size, and linear explosiveness. He’s currently at his best in that odd-front role as a down end where he can stack offensive tackles with his heavy hands. The penetration reps are something he appears to have the physical ability to execute on, but we may see his snap share dip until he proves he can put it on the field. That ties back into my player summary from the 2025 NFL Draft:

“Biggers has the potential to develop into a gap control talent with effective run-defending ability. He should be offered an opportunity to develop within a scheme that charges defenders with optimizing their length and punch power to stack up the point of attack and keep linebackers free.”

Biggers may have the best length (nearly 35″ arms), but his first step quickness and ability to reduce through gaps is the furthest away of Miami’s interior trio. He (currently) feels like the most skill specific player of the bunch given a lack of alignment diversity and how raw his penetration reps are. At least Phillips can be a penetration player in the A-gaps, even if he can’t move up and down the formation like Grant can.