Kelly: Will Dolphins O-line Sideswipe the 2023 Season?
The Miami Dolphins offensive line has been the unit that has held this franchise down like an anchor fixed to the bottom of the ocean for more than a decade.
No matter who the offensive coordinator has been, or who is behind center at quarterback, the offensive line’s shortcomings, injuries, paper-thin depth, or overall dysfunction (remember Bullygate) has kept South Florida’s NFL franchise from maximizing its potential.
Without adequate protection, the quarterback’s chances of getting injured are high. We saw that last season.
Without efficient run blocking, the run game will be stagnant. We saw that at times last season.
And without solid pass blocking, the play-calling will be limited, and the success rate of big plays could be stifled. Luckily, Miami found a way around that last season.
The question we need to ask ourselves heading into the 2023 season is whether the moves Miami’s decision makers made this offseason patched up the Dolphins’ O-line enough to have that unit serve as a facilitator and not a hindrance to this team’s success?
The answer we seek can be found by addressing a series of questions.
Will a Coaching Change Improve the Unit?
It certainly can't hurt.
Matt Applebaum, who the Dolphins hired from Boston College, seemingly was in over his head last season, which forced Frank Smith, the offensive coordinator, to do plenty of babysitting with that unit.
Applebaum returned to Boston College after one season and Miami replaced him with Butch Barry, who has a less-than-stellar reputation based on the work he did at the University of Miami for one season (2019), and his disastrous tenure as the Denver Broncos offensive line coach last year.
The fact that Barry served as an understudy for 49ers offensive line coach Chris Foerster, the man who taught Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel the intricacies of the wide-zone run game, is beneficial.
Even though Foerster was dismissed from the Dolphins in 2017 for his escapades with an escort, which included snorting a white powdery substance in the team’s facility, he’s respected as one of the NFL’s best O-line coaches, and the hope is that Barry is an extension of him.
The biggest concern is whether Miami’s players can endure and adapt to his coaching style.
Who Are the Biggest Offseason Additions?
Isaiah Wynn, Dan Feeney and Cedric Ogbuehi are the veterans added through free agency.
These three collectively bring 139 games of starting experience to the offensive line, and that’s important because gaining experience rarely hurts.
Wynn, Feeney and Ogbuehi might have their individual blemishes, which turned them into NFL journeymen, but they each should be capable of stepping up and filling in as starters if called up.
That’s something that the Dolphins didn’t have last year at this stage of the offseason, which explains why Miami had to sign a journeyman like Brandon Shell and turn him into the starting right tackle for most of last season after Austin Jackson was sidelined by an ankle injury.
Ryan Hayes, the former Michigan starter who Miami selected in the seventh round, is the only other newcomer worth mentioning, and he might be best suited as an offensive guard in the NFL.
Who Is the Foundational Piece For This Dolphins O-line?
This is an important question because three offensive linemen projected as starters in 2023 — Connor Williams, Robert Hunt and Jackson — are impending free agents.
That’s the entire right side of the offensive line, and it would be irresponsible not to mention that left guard is a mystery because of Liam Eichenberg’s struggles the past two years as a starter.
Terron Armstead, who was voted to his fourth Pro Bowl last season, is the unit’s top performer, an elite lineman when healthy. But this 31-year-old has battled injuries the past few seasons and hasn’t played an entire season his entire 10-year career.
Is Armstead the player this offensive line should be built around? How much longer can he perform at an elite level?
The answers to those questions might force the Dolphins to get a multi-year deal done with Williams or Hunt before the 2023 season begins because one has to be viewed as a building block. If not, we'll be starting all over in 2024 with the offensive line.
Where Are the Weak Links?
Anyone with eyes can see that left guard and right tackle are the most troublesome spots on Miami's O-line.
The rebirth of this O-line began with Jackson, the 2020 first-round pick.
While Jackson has struggled as a starter for the majority of his NFL career, that hasn’t been the case for the former USC standout at right tackle.
He missed all but two games at right tackle last season because of an ankle injury he tried and failed to come back from.
Jackson is in the best shape of his career because he’s in a pivotal play-for-pay season. A solid performance in 2023 will elevate his asking price for a new deal. A season full of struggles will get him labeled as a burnout and have him designated as a journeyman. That's about a $6 million annual salary difference, and that's a conservative estimate.
Coincidentally, that’s what happened to Ogbuehi, who is Jackson's primary competition for the starting right tackle spot.
There are also a handful of offensive tackles, players like Kendall Lamm and Geron Christian the Dolphins preferred to re-sign instead of retaining Shell, who ended up signing with the Buffalo Bills.
As for Eichenberg, like Jackson he'll need to be solid to keep his starting spot past the first month of the season.
Can Miami Withstand Injuries This Season?
Injuries are typically what waters down the effectiveness of an offensive line because a unit is only as strong as its weakest link.
Wynn is the left side backup. His experience allows him to serve as Armstead’s backup in case something happens to Miami’s Pro Bowl left tackle.
He’ll also be Eichenberg’s main competition for the starting left tackle spot. Having him push/challenge Eichenberg, the Dolphins’ 2021 second-round pick, will ensure that Miami’s putting its best foot forward at an important spot because the left guard’s success pulling and turning defenders is critical to the run game’s success.
Williams is Miami’s starting center and the hope is that his game turns up a few decibels now that he’s in his second year in this offense utilizing a wide-zone run scheme. He should have a better mastery of the scheme and concepts, and enhanced chemistry with his line mates.
Feeney likely will serve as his backup, but Miami spent the offseason cross-training Eichenberg to play center, and his development there was somewhat encouraging.
Hunt will begin his third season as the starting right guard. He has the talent and skill set to play right tackle, but the Dolphins have refused to work him there except for one emergency start last season, fearing it would stunt his development.
It’s pretty clear something significant would need to happen for Miami’s decision makers to reserve course on anchoring Hunt at right guard. This is a pay-for-play situation for Hunt as well, so expect him to have his best NFL season in 2023.
Robert Jones, who the Dolphins have spent the past two seasons developing, will compete to be the backup guard on both the left and right side. Jones will need to play and practice well to extend his South Florida stay past training camp because Miami has upgraded this unit’s depth, which could put him on the roster bubble if he doesn't come to camp in great shape and if he's not forceful in practice.
Between Wynn, Feeney and Jones, the Dolphins have a solid trio of backups on the offensive line, so there are a couple break-in-case-of-emergency options, which wasn't the case at this point last year.
