Considering all the changes – the injuries, the trades, the constant tinkering of this roster – it shouldn't come as much of a surprise that only two players on this team have started all nine games.
Nor should it be much of a surprise who those two players are.
Because for offensive guard Michael Deiter and defensive tackle Davon Godchaux this is really business as usual.
Have you heard the expression: The best ability is availability? They've both been walking that walk for a while now.
That's especially true for Deiter, who is on a remarkable streak of consecutive games played dating all the way back to high school.
Yes, high school.
Before you ask him to talk about it, he's got to knock on wood.
"Don't want my good luck to change," Deiter says.
The same for Godchaux, who last Sunday against the Indianapolis Colts started his 25th consecutive game for the Dolphins dating back to his rookie season in 2017.
"Just fortunate," he said. "Plenty fortunate."
Let's begin with Deiter, a third-round pick who didn't start playing football until his sophomore year of high school and has had a perfect attendance record since.
"Played every game in high school," he says proudly. "Went to Wisconsin and never missed a start. Came here and I've been ready to go every week."
Actually, let's take it a step further than that. Deiter has played every snap this season, the only player on the team to do that. He takes a lot of pride in that, especially for a rookie with so much to learn.
"We only play 16 games," he says. "There aren't a ton of opportunities. You have to make the most of every chance you get."
Then he leaned up against his locker and once again knocked on wood. Can never do that too many times. "Some players might look for reasons why they can't play," he said. "I look for reasons why I can."
His every-down availability has helped escalate his improvement as a player. Deiter has played almost exclusively at left guard, and this has allowed him to better understand what the defense is doing. It's also enabled him to play faster and with more confidence.
"I want my teammates to know I'm dependable," he says.
They know. So does his offensive line coach Dave DeGuglielmo.
"It's not going to help him sitting on the bench watching it," said Coach Guge. "He's doing exactly what we want him to do. I would be happy if we had a whole bunch more just like him."
Then there's Godchaux, a former fifth round pick out of LSU. As previously stated, last Sunday at Indianapolis was his 25rd straight start, which means all of last season and so far all of this season. He was on the injury report earlier last week with a sore shoulder, but it didn't slow him down enough to keep him out of the lineup.
"I play hurting all the time," he says. "But I never play hurt. There's a difference."
When you consider the role of a defensive tackle, that every play is involved in a massive collision of bodies, his longevity becomes even more noteworthy.
"This is a brutal game and I play a brutally violent position," Godchaux says. "But the thing I like to tell people is that you can't play from the training room, you've got to be out there on the field."
Godchaux admits he doesn't spend time marveling over his consecutive game streak. Yes, he knows it's there and he's proud of what he's done. But his focus remains on this game and this week and not necessarily the road he traveled to get there.
"Got to keep getting stronger," he said. "I'm trying to take my game to another level."
Who knows how long both players will keep their streaks alive? One false step, one awkward fall could change everything. But for now both Deiter and Godchaux forge on, proud of their accomplishment and determined to keep it going.
Available. Reliable. Dependable. That's what they are. That's who they are. And on a team where the only real constant has been change, those are some important qualities to have.
