After a few weeks of training camp and two preseason games, injuries are beginning to pile up for the Miami Dolphins.
Rookie Trey Moore underwent ankle surgery after he suffered an injury while applying pressure on New York Giants quarterback Jameis Winston. Moore is now set to miss considerable time in his rookie season. Additionally, veteran starters Tyrel Dodson, Jordyn Brooks and Zach Sieler remain out of practice; however, their status for Week 1 does not currently appear to be in doubt.
Unfortunately, last year’s first-round pick Kenneth Grant’s status for Week 1 appears in doubt, as head coach Jeff Hafley expressed concern about his availability.
Miami Dolphins First-Round Pick in Question for Regular Season Opener
Prior to Tuesday’s practice, Miami Dolphins head coach Jeff Hafley was asked about the status of defensive lineman Kenneth Grant, who has been sidelined with an injury. Hafley said, “Kenneth will not be around this week. I would say doubtful for the following week. I would say he’s week to week.”
Regarding his status for the season opener, Hafley added, “Well again, he’s week to week, so I think of course there’s going to be concern. If I felt like he was going to for sure be back next week, I would tell you that. Am I hopeful he will be? Yeah, but there’s always going to be concern until I see a guy out there. Not to like give you an unanswered question, but that’s the best I can do on that one. So while I’m hopeful he’ll be out there, until he has his helmet and shoulder pads and he’s practicing with us, I’m going to have concern, for sure.”
Prior to his injury, Kenneth Grant was in a competition with last year’s fifth-round pick Jordan Phillips for the starting interior defensive lineman job alongside Zach Sieler.
As a rookie, Grant appeared in all 17 regular season games while making five starts. He registered two sacks, 33 combined tackles and two tackles for loss. Grant received a 48.4 overall grade from Pro Football Focus. He graded as a below-average pass rusher and run defender in his first season.
Meanwhile, Phillips started 16 games for the Dolphins last season as a rookie. He received a 55.7 overall grade from Pro Football Focus; however, he did not register a sack.
Kenneth Grant’s Sophomore Season
Ideally, the Miami Dolphins would like more contributions out of last year’s first-round pick. After a disappointing rookie campaign, he was listed as the team’s breakout candidate by Pro Football Focus’ Gordon McGuinness.
McGuinness wrote: “Defensive tackle Kenneth Grant endured a rough start to his NFL career, earning a 30.4 PFF grade over the first five weeks of the season. He steadily improved as the year went on, though, and his 62.0 PFF grade from Week 6 through the end of the season ranked third among the 14 rookie interior defensive linemen who played at least 200 snaps during that span. His 16 defensive stops over that stretch also ranked second in the group. With a full NFL offseason under his belt, expect Grant to continue that upward trajectory in 2026.”
Hopefully, his injury does not derail what could be a promising sophomore season.
Dolphins First-Round Pick Gets Bleak Injury Update on Week 1 Status