The Defensive Tackle Situation Has Become a Recurring Problem

Kenneth Grant's injury, reported Monday, means Miami is now leaning on Zach Sieler and Clelin Ferrell at defensive tackle as the regular season approaches. That is a thinner room than the front office planned for when it signed Ferrell in late July, and it is the same conversation I was having two days ago when Grant's absence was first confirmed for this week's practices.

The timing is worth noting. Sieler only just cleared his week-to-week designation last week — I wrote then that his return was good news but that the position remained thin. Grant going down the same week Sieler came back is the kind of roster churn that makes depth charts feel like a revolving door. Darrell Baker Jr. is also unavailable, so the bodies behind Sieler and Ferrell are James Ester and Alex Huntley, neither of whom has established themselves as a reliable contributor at this level.

Grant was a first-round investment, and his unavailability — however long it lasts — represents real lost value at a position Miami has been trying to stabilize all offseason. Ferrell was brought in as a depth piece, not a featured player. That distinction matters when you are two weeks from the opener.