Dolphins Offensive Line Getting Reinforcements

Miami Dolphins guard Liam Eichenberg returned to practice on the same day Eric Fisher stepped onto the field with his new team for the first time

The most important piece on the Miami Dolphins offensive line is still dealing with an injury, but help is on the way to the position group and it could mean some changes down the line.

Tackle Terron Armstead did not practice Wednesday when the Dolphins began their on-field preparation for their Week 14 game against the Los Angeles Chargers and his status for the game very much is up in the air.

But newcomer Eric Fisher did practice with his new team for the first time and Liam Eichenberg also was on the field at UCLA after being designated to return from the injured reserve list.

There's no timetable as to when Fisher will be ready to make his Dolphins debut, and the same goes for when Eichenberg might be ready to return to game action from the knee injury he sustained in the Week 8 victory at Detroit.

But when Fisher and Eichenberg are ready, as well as Armstead, then it opens up all kinds of possibilities for the Dolphins offensive line, not to mention that it will beef up the depth.

WHAT THE DOLPHINS OFFENSIVE LINE MIGHT END UP LOOKING LIKE

So who fits where once everybody is good to go? That's an interesting question, to say the least.

The Dolphins currently have eight offensive linemen on the active roster and that number would become nine if they don't make a corresponding move up front when they activate Eichenberg.

So it could be that before too long the Dolphins will have the following players on their offensive line: Armstead, Fisher, Eichenberg, Robert Hunt, Connor Williams, Brandon Shell, Robert Jones, Greg Little and Michael Deiter.

As has been the case all season, the locks among that group for the starting lineup (or almost locks) would be Armstead at left tackle, Williams at center and Hunt at right guard.

Then the questions would go to left guard and whether to keep Jones there or reinsert Eichenberg into the starting lineup — and remember that Mike McDaniel keeps saying that Eichenberg was playing his best football at the time he was injured — and at right tackle, where the choice would come down to Shell and Fisher.

If Fisher looks anything like the player he was in Kansas City in 2020 — before he sustained a torn Achilles tendon in the AFC Championship Game against Buffalo — one would think he'd get the nod. But that's going to have to be determined on the practice field.

Regardless of how it plays out, it's always good to keep adding players with starting experience, not only for depth purposes because the added competition for starting roles can only make everybody better.