Dolphins 2021 Week 17 Snap Count Observations

It was a busy afternoon for the Miami Dolphins front seven players, while some offensive players saw diminished roles

It sure appears there's now a clear pecking order at running back for the Miami Dolphins.

That's perhaps the biggest takeaway from the snap counts in their 34-3 loss against the Tennessee Titans at Nissan Stadium on Sunday.

After Duke Johnson, Myles Gaskin and Phillip Lindsay got a fairly even amount of snap against the New Orleans Saints, Johnson was the clear feature back against Tennessee, with 36 offensive snaps compared to 15 for Gaskin and only seven for Lindsay.

The other thing that jumped out with the offensive snap counts was the fact that Albert Wilson didn't get any. Not one.

Wilson was among the three players who were active but did not play against Tennessee. Possible factors involved there were the weather conditions and the fact Wilson was coming from missing the New Orleans game while on the Reserve/COVID-19 list.

When it comes to wide receiver, it was pretty much all DeVante Parker and Jaylen Waddle, who played 58 and 57 of the 62 offensive snaps, while nobody else at the position played more than 17 snaps.

At tight end, Cethan Carter played one offensive snap as the fourth option after Mike Gesicki, Durham Smythe and Adam Shaheen, though he did play 14 special teams snaps. Carter's return from the COVID-19 list put rookie third-round pick Hunter Long back on the inactive list.

DEFENSIVE THOUGHTS

With Tennessee's heavy emphasis on the running game, that meant extra playing time for front seven players and less for the extra defensive backs.

As such, nickel corner Nik Needham played only 24 snaps against the Titans and third safety Eric Rowe played only 15. It also affected the playing time of edge defender Jaelan Phillips, who played only 23 snaps.

On the flip side, defensive linemen Christian Wilkins and Zach Sieler played 56 and 50 snaps. Wilkins played 89 percent of the defensive snaps, his highest percentage of the season. Sieler played 79 percent of the defensive snaps, setting season highs in snaps and percentage.

The only players on defense who played every snap were safety Jevon Holland and linebacker Jerome Baker.

SPECIAL TEAMS ONLY

With linebacker Vince Biegel inactive, it was Clayton Fejedelem and Brennan Scarlett, back from injured reserve who tied for the team lead in special teams snaps with 24.

Two of the three players elevated from the practice squad for this game — Chris Milton and Kirk Merritt — played only on special teams, along with Fejedelem and Sam Eguavoen.

Along with Wilson, offensive linemen Greg Mancz and Robert Jones also were active but did not play.