Grant Is Out This Week, and the Defensive Tackle Depth Is Getting Thin Again

Kenneth Grant, the former first-round pick, will not practice for Miami this week, the team confirmed Monday. It is a notable setback heading into the final stretch of the preseason, and it lands at a position that has not had a quiet August.

Two days ago I noted that the defensive tackle picture was still thin even after Zach Sieler returned to active status. Grant's absence makes that observation more urgent. The depth chart behind him lists James Ester and Alex Huntley, neither of whom has established himself as a reliable interior presence heading into the regular season. The re-signing of Seth Coleman-Lyles, announced the same day as the Grant news, adds a body, though it reads more like roster maintenance than a solution to what is becoming a real interior problem.

The broader context is worth keeping in mind. Miami has been managing a rolling injury situation all camp — Darrell Baker Jr. remains out, Quinn Ewers is banged up after the Commanders preseason game, and the defensive line additions this offseason were built around depth, not star power. Clelin Ferrell came in to shore up the edge. There was no equivalent move up the middle. Grant was supposed to be that anchor. For now, he isn't practicing, and the Dolphins are running out of preseason reps to sort it out.