The Miami Dolphins didn’t must assume a lot a couple of defensive sort out rotation with Zach Sieler and Christian Wilkins within the trenches. Each gamers ranked prime 5 in snaps amongst defensive tackles final season, however issues will look totally different in 2024 with Wilkins signing a monster contract with the Las Vegas Raiders.
Miami hopes to develop a rotation of gamers at defensive sort out below first-year coordinator Anthony Weaver and has already signed 5 gamers to assist fill the void. A kind of linemen, Benito Jones, returns to Miami after taking part in in 34 video games all through two seasons with the Detroit Lions.
“These are some fairly massive sneakers (to fill) as a result of he’s leaving,” Jones stated of changing Wilkins. “You simply acquired to come back in and set the bar how he had it. Christian is a heck of a participant. Once I first got here in, he type of took me below his wing as a younger man.
“I by no means noticed myself type of changing him on the sector. Folks all the time need to play with him or play beside him. I’m glad for him going to Las Vegas.”
Jones initially signed the Dolphins as an undrafted school free agent in 2020 and spent most of his first two seasons on the apply squad. He was waived on Aug. 30 2022 and claimed by Detroit the next day.
“That is the place that I (began),” he stated of his reminiscences of South Florida. “I wasn’t drafted right here. I used to be undrafted right here. Austin Clark stood out to me. He knew among the coaches that I knew from school and simply acquired me right here. I discovered so much from him.
“My reminiscences right here have been I made my first sort out right here. That was one thing we’d all the time discuss. He’d all the time say he would coach me right here in some unspecified time in the future sometime. We simply by no means knew I’d be coming again this yr. Simply coming again right here the place it began, that’s nice for me.”
Jones set a career-best of 26 tackles in 2023 and began 15 video games for the Lions, ending the season with 5 video games with no less than two quarterback hurries. His position in Miami isn’t recognized, however he’s prepared to step in wherever wanted.
“I’m by no means going to take a seat right here and say I’m only a nostril guard or right here or there,” Jones stated. “You’ve simply acquired to come back in and go to work in OTAs and coaching camp, and just about battle for a job.”
