Dolphins at Bengals recap - Miami snap counts on defense

The Miami Dolphins lost to the Cincinnati Bengals this week, dropping the game without ever appearing to actually be in the game. Earlier today, we took a look at the offensive snap counts for the team, so now we turn to the defense.

The top note from this game is how little Cameron Wake played, making just 15 appearances in 70 defensive snaps. The Dolphins seem to be trying to save Wake to make sure he is fresh later in the season, but they need to unleash him soon, or when they are ready to use him late in the year it will be too late to actually mean anything.

Obviously, the linebacker position shook up a little this week with Koa Misi and Jelani Jenkins missing the game due to injury. Will the team see their starters return this week, or will Donald Butler, Neville Hewitt, and Spencer Paysinger fill in for the two outside linebackers?

The cornerback position also saw a change, where Byron Maxwell was benched and did not make an appearance this week. Instead, the team relied on Xavien Howard, Tony Lippett, and Bobby McCain - along with safety Michael Thomas - to take on the Bengals’ wide receivers. A.J. Green took advantage of the matchup, but the Dolphins appear set to go with the same four players next week as Maxwell still appears to be in the doghouse.

The full breakdown of snap counts for the Dolphins’ defense is below:

Defensive ends

Mario Williams - 51, 73%

Jason Jones - 42, 60%

Andre Branch - 34, 49%

Cameron Wake - 15, 21%

Julius Warmsley - 12, 17%

Terrence Fede - 8, 11%

Defensive tackles

Ndamukong Suh - 64, 91%

Jordan Phillips - 47, 67%

Chris Jones - 15, 21%

Linebackers

Kiko Alonso - 70, 100%

Donald Butler - 42, 60%

Neville Hewitt - 39, 56%

Spencer Paysinger - 30, 43%

Cornerbacks

Xavien Howard - 68, 97%

Tony Lippett - 67, 96%

Bobby McCain - 28, 40%

Safeties

Reshad Jones - 70, 100%

Isa Abdul-Quddus - 36, 51%

Michael Thomas - 32, 46%

2016 Season Snap Counts (Defense):