Young DTs Look for Next Step While Former Teammate Finds a New Team

Benito Jones was the only one of the Miami Dolphins' defensive tackles not brought back in 2026

Miami Dolphins defensive tackle Benito Jones runs on the field before a game against the Buffalo Bills at Hard Rock Stadium in 2025. | Jeff Romance-Imagn Images

After an offseason of constant change, one position for the Miami Dolphins that remains almost the same as in 2025 is defensive tackle.

Five of the six members of the rotation are back, and the only missing piece found his team for 2026 on Wednesday.

Veteran Benito Jones, who spent the past two seasons with Miami in his second stint with the team, agreed to terms with the Las Vegas Raiders.

Jones joining the Raiders is a bit ironic because the one other DT who was a question mark to return this year was Matthew Butler, who the Dolphins claimed off waivers last offseason from — you guessed it — Las Vegas.

Jones started 23 games for the Dolphins the past two seasons, including eight in 2025.

His playing time took a bit of a dip in the final two months of the 2025 season after the Dolphins' three rookie draft picks at the position — Kenneth Grant, Jordan Phillips and Zeek Biggers — started showing signs of progress.

The other member of the DT room last season was veteran Zach Sieler, the clear leader and anchor of the group.

While no financial terms for Jones' deal with Las Vegas were disclosed, he won't figure into the compensatory draft pick formula regardless because those signings need to happen before the end of April — the Monday after the draft, to be precise — until a rare UFA tender is placed on a player, like the Pittsburgh Steelers did with QB Aaron Rodgers.

THE OUTLOOK FOR THE YOUNG DEFENSIVE TACKLES

Despite his 38 career starts, Jones was a low-priority free agent for the Dolphins all along because they want to see more from the three 2025 rookies.

Grant, Phillips and Biggers are heading into their second season and the team is hoping the year of experience can help them fulfill their potential in Jeff Hafley's first sesason as Dolphins head coach.

“I'll tell you, the first thing that excites me about those guys is the fact that they've been in the building since the season ended," defensive line coach Austin Clark said. "Phillips, Grant, Zeek, these guys have been around throughout the whole offseason putting in the time. So to get them on the grass over the last eight days and see that they're starting off in a much better position than they did the year before and their confidence is up, the size just in genera, they're all bigger, stronger, faster, and they love football.”

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