Three weeks into the NFL season, the Miami Dolphins’ rookie class is tracking toward a massive workload. On pace for 6,845 regular-season snaps, the group would land second among rookie classes over the last decade.
That kind of usage is already showing up across the depth chart. Five rookies have cleared 100 snaps through three games: offensive guard Kadyn Proctor, linebacker Jacob Rodriguez, cornerback Chris Johnson, safety Michael Taaffe and wide receiver Chris Bell. Wide receiver Caleb Douglas has logged 92 snaps even after missing more than a full game because of injury.
Since 2016, only seven teams have had a rookie class pile up at least 6,000 regular-season snaps across offense, defense and special teams. The list is a useful snapshot of what heavy rookie usage can mean, both in the moment and down the road.
At the top is the 2016 Cleveland Browns, whose rookies combined for 7,185 snaps. Eight rookie players topped 500 snaps that season, a group that included Spencer Drango, Briean Boddy-Calhoun and Derrick Kindred. Cleveland finished with one win, and then did not win at all the next season.
That class also featured five quarterbacks, including Robert Griffin III. The Browns would have finished without a 1,000-yard rusher or receiver if not for Terrelle Pryor Sr.’s 94-yard performance in the regular-season finale. Joe Schobert and Emmanuel Ogbah ended up as the most productive players from that rookie group.
The next closest team on the list was the 2024 Los Angeles Rams at 6,464 snaps. Eighteen rookies saw the field for Los Angeles, and several became meaningful pieces right away.
Jared Verse, the No. 19 overall pick, was part of a package that led to the team acquiring Myles Garrett and set into motion the return of Aaron Donald. The Rams also added Braden Fiske, Omar Speights, Kam Kinchens and Jordan Whittington, all of whom are starters on a team favored to win the Super Bowl two years later.
Blake Corum and Tyler Davis also came from that class.
Chicago’s 2022 draft class came in at 6,446 snaps. The Bears didn’t have a first-round pick, but they did land Kyler Gordon and Jaquan Brisker in the second round.
Gordon has had trouble staying healthy, while Brisker has since moved on after a strong start gave way to a fade. Chicago also found Day 3 contributors in Braxton Jones, Dominique Robinson and Jack Sanborn.
That season, Justin Fields and the Bears jumped out to a 2-1 start and then won only one more game the rest of the way.
The 2019 Miami Dolphins logged 6,265 rookie snaps, and 21 rookies played for the team that year. Michael Deiter, a third-round center, started 15 games and is still in the league with the Broncos.
Christian Wilkins, the No. 13 overall pick, was the centerpiece of the class. Miami chose not to re-sign him when his contract expired, and the franchise has since been vindicated for that decision for non-football-related reasons.
Andrew Van Ginkel has had the most lasting impact from that group. After a 0-7 start, Miami finished 5-4 over its final nine games and laid the groundwork for the 10-5 finish in Brian Flores’ last season in charge.
San Francisco’s 2017 rookie class totaled 6,126 snaps. Of the 19 rookies who played for the 49ers that year, several became far more than just depth.
George Kittle remains a central part of Kyle Shanahan’s offense. Matt Breida, Kendrick Bourne and C.J.
Beathard also became familiar names for the team in that era. On defense, Ahkello Witherspoon, Adrian Colbert, Reuben Foster, Solomon Thomas and D.J.
Jones all made their mark to varying degrees. Jones later became a fixture on one of the best defenses in the NFL with the Broncos.
The 49ers opened 0-9, with five straight games decided by three points or fewer, before winning six of their final seven.
The 2019 Giants rounded out 6,082 snaps, and they were the only team on the list with more than one first-round pick - they had three. Daniel Jones, DeAndre Baker and Dexter Lawrence accounted for 42.5% of the rookie snap total, a pretty good illustration of how first-rounders can hit different stages of their careers at different speeds.
Oshane Ximinez was the second-rounder in the middle of that group, while Darius Slayton and Julian Love ended up with the most staying power. New York won four games that year, and the franchise still has not reached double-digit wins since 2016.
The 2025 Browns sit at 6,001 snaps, and that story is still being written. The class helped Cleveland to just five wins, but there were notable individual moments.
Carson Schwesinger won Defensive Rookie of the Year, while Harold Fannin Jr. and Quinshon Judkins were in the Offensive Rookie of the Year conversation. Mason Graham has already flashed early in the 2026 season after a volatile rookie year.
And then there were quarterbacks Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel. The overall impact from that group has already been greater than that of the next Cleveland team to appear on this list.
In Other News...
Dolphins Defense Is Getting Healthier As One Return Could Matter Most
The Dolphins are starting to get a little healthier on defense, and the timing matters as the season starts to settle in. Cornerback Storm Duck is back at practice as he works his way off the Reserve/Physically Unable to Perform list, while rookie defensive lineman Trey Moore remains on injured reserve with an ankle injury but is still expected back at some point this season.
Perhaps the most encouraging update comes with Kenneth Grant, who has been out since training camp with a foot and ankle injury. The defensive lineman is progressing well and could be close to a return to practice as early as Week 5, a development that could give Miami a needed boost up front if his recovery continues on schedule. [Read more 🡒]
Dolphins May Finally Be Seeing Hope From Two Young Linemen
After another loss to Kansas City dropped Miami to 0-3, the spotlight again landed on an offensive line that has spent much of the early season trying to settle itself. There were still mixed grades to sort through, but rookie left guard Kadyn Proctor and second-year right guard Jonah Savaiinaea gave the Dolphins something they have not had enough of lately: a couple of young linemen trending in the right direction.
Proctor, in particular, showed cleaner work in pass protection and even turned in a key block on a touchdown run, the kind of detail that tends to matter more as the games pile up. Miamis line also kept the Chiefs from recording a sack, which does not erase the bigger issues, but it does at least offer a small sign that the unit may be finding a foothold with two of its youngest pieces. [Read more 🡒]
Dolphins May Have A Tough Zach Sieler Decision Coming
The Dolphins have a decision looming with Zach Sieler, and it is the kind that can say a lot about where a team believes it stands. Sieler has been a steady part of Miamis defensive front in recent seasons, even if he has not gotten to the quarterback for a sack this year, and that track record is part of why he is drawing attention as the trade market begins to take shape.
Chicago is one team reportedly eyeing help on the defensive line as it tries to bolster its playoff push, which puts Miami in an awkward spot. Moving Sieler would mean giving up a dependable veteran and hoping the return in draft assets justifies it, while keeping him would signal the Dolphins still value depth and experience on a unit that could use both. The kind of offer that lands in the middle may end up being the real test. [Read more 🡒]