Bold claim: patience in player development can turn a later-round prospect into a long-term contributor. That’s the core takeaway from the Miami Dolphins’ recent experience with Zeek Biggers. The rookie defensive tackle, selected in the seventh round out of Georgia Tech, has begun to show enough promise to suggest he could join the game-day rotation more regularly sooner rather than later. This progress naturally raises questions about why he didn’t see action earlier, given he was active for only one of the first nine games before stepping in for veteran offseason acquisition Matthew Butler.
Defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver provided a straightforward explanation during his weekly media session: growth and maturation were needed. “Yeah, we don’t play Madden,” Weaver said. “I can’t just put them on the field and they automatically know where to go and how to play and what to do. There’s some growth and maturation that needed to occur there. There’s a reason we got the kid where we did, right? But we saw the potential in him. And again, truly a credit to the kid and all the work he’s put in to put himself in this position.”
What Biggers has done so far underscores Weaver’s point. If Biggers had been a finished product entering the NFL, he might not have been available in the seventh round. Instead, he’s shown tangible development, starting with noticeable improvements in body composition and a deepening grasp of the playbook. Weaver highlighted how Biggers has advanced as a run defender and continued to flash pass-rush ability, but the bigger story is the sustained improvement on the run defense and the off-field work that’s complemented his on-field performance. That combination is what earned him more substantial snaps and, as Weaver put it, sets him up as a potential long-term piece.
Biggers first appeared in Week 2 when Benito Jones missed time with an oblique injury, contributing six snaps in a 33-27 defeat. His workload grew to 19 snaps in Week 10 against the Bills, 23 in Week 11 versus the Commanders—where he tallied a career-high seven tackles—and 31 snaps in the 21-17 win over the Saints last week. If his trajectory continues, he’s positioned to remain a regular part of the defense for the rest of the 2025 season. The prudent takeaway is that patience in development paid off, and Biggers’ current role reflects that earned trust.
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