Eichenberg Eyeing Starting Job, But Could He Be on the Move?

The Miami Dolphins offensive line might not be as settled in terms of starters as once thought, based on the offseason developments

So, wait a minute, the projected starting offensive line for the Miami Dolphins isn’t clear cut after all?

What else to make of third-year player Liam Eichenberg taking snaps this offseason at center, a position he has never played?

To this point, it seemed a given that training camp would begin with an (unofficial) offensive line depth chart showing on the first team of Terron Armstead at left tackle, Eichenberg at left guard, Connor Williams at center, Robert Hunt at right guard, and Austin Jackson at right tackle.

So what gives?

Sure, we’re all for cross-training offensive linemen and having them practice at different spots to create position flexibility and more options for the lineup, but this move with Eichenberg just feels odd.

It starts, of course, with the idea that Eichenberg was a left tackle at Notre Dame and has played three different spots for the Dolphins since arriving as a second-round pick in 2021 and none of them was center — for the record, it’s left tackle, right tackle and left guard.

And understanding that Eichenberg is coming off a season disrupted by injuries, the argument certainly could be made that he should be taking every single solitary practice snap at left guard if he’s indeed slated to get the first shot at landing that starting position.

Unless memory fails us, the Dolphins didn’t do a lot of cross-training among their offensive linemen last year, though Eichenberg did get work at right tackle along with left guard. Jackson, for example, was a fixture at right tackle.

DOLPHINS HAVE PLENTY OF OPTIONS AT CENTER

Another thing that makes Eichenberg getting snaps at center a little weird is that the Dolphins seem pretty set at that position with Williams and offseason acquisition Dan Feeney, who has NFL experience at both guard and center.

In fact, you could even make the case that there aren’t a lot of positions on the roster where the Dolphins are more set with starter and backup than center.

Now, this is where some might point out that the Dolphins practiced Wednesday without either Williams (not spotted for this voluntary practice) or Feeney (wearing a compression sleeve on a leg), but rookie free agent Alama Uluave was there to take center snaps and guard Lester Cotton could have been the one doing cross-training.

Conspiracy theorists jump in here and suggest that maybe the Dolphins are preparing themselves in the event they have to find a new starting center in 2024 because Williams is entering the final year of the two-year contract he signed as a free agent last offseason (and he wouldn’t be the first player to be skipping voluntary offseason work because he wants an extension) and because Feeney signed a one-year deal.

Or is it possible that the Dolphins don’t necessarily view Eichenberg as the slam-dunk starter at left guard, that maybe newcomer Isaiah Wynn is the real front-runner for that job?

After all, Wynn did play left guard for the New England Patriots last season and there many analysts who figured that was going to be his best position when he came out of the University of Georgia before becoming the 23rd overall selection in the 2019 NFL draft.

Remember that while GM Chris Grier made the statement this offseason that Austin Jackson was the starting right tackle, he didn’t make that kind of declarative statement about Eichenberg (though, in fairness, he never was asked that question directly, and both he and head coach Mike McDaniel have spoken positively about Eichenberg’s development).

But maybe cross-training Eichenberg is being done with the idea he could become a super sub on the offensive line capable of playing at all five spots.

LIAM EICHENBERG EYEING STARTING JOB

For his part, Eichenberg has his sights set on that starting left guard position.

"I mean, I think I'm gonna compete every single day to start at left guard," he said. "I just got to keep improving. I think this offseason I came out here and OTAs, I've looked a lot better with my feet, foot speed's improved and gotten a lot stronger. So I think I am in the right direction in regards to doing everything I can, so I'm just gonna keep working, keep focusing on what I need to improve on and just do whatever they need me to do."

Eichenberg has a right to thinking he'll be in the starting lineup, having started 26 of 27 games he played his first two seasons.

Ten of those starts came last season when he was derailed by a knee injury sustained in the Week 8 game at Detroit, which came when his coaches were saying he was playing his best football.

Eichenberg said at least he gained confidence last year he could be a successful NFL guard.

"Yes, 100%, 100%," he said. "I think a lot of is just learning from your mistakes and not repeating them. I just gotta take it day by day and kind of focus on the details and the coaching."