Big Jump Coming for Offensive Line?

The Miami Dolphins could have their foundation in place for their offensive line, but those young players have to show they're the right pieces

For all the talk about quarterback Tua Tagovailoa and the big jump he might be able to take in his second season, let's not forget the big guys in front of him.

Simply put, Tua's ability to succeed and thrive in 2021 will depend at least in part of what kind of work the offensive line can produce, and it's a group that's got an important similarity to the quarterback.

It's a young group.

A lot of the optimism surrounding Tagovailoa is the expected jump made by many NFL players from Year 1 to Year 2, but that also applies to Austin Jackson, Solomon Kindley and Robert Hunt.

And, make no mistake, those three guys figure prominently in the plans for the offensive line after starting as rookies in 2020.

Jackson was asked during his Zoom media session Thursday about the usual Year 1 to Year 2 jump.

“From a personal standpoint, it’s really exciting," he said. "As a competitor and as a teammate, I definitely want to go out there and do everything perfect for myself and for my team. Having that kind of expectation, but also having the knowledge of what needs to be done, is exciting. It excites me a lot and I’m looking forward to it.”

The key question for everyone involved is how good the Dolphins offensive line can become in 2021 if Jackson, Kindley and Hunt all show measurable improvement.

"The type of jump from the offensive line, first and foremost, we look back to our values and how we want to see ourselves," Jackson said. "We have our own kind of culture in the room. We want to be tough, disciplined, detailed and nasty. All of those four words are kind of what we aim for and I think you can see a big improvement in those aspects. We want to do our job well, know we don’t have any errors and we want to do it fast and do it with a sense of urgency.”

It's no great secret that nothing will be more important to the long-term success of the Dolphins than finding a franchise quarterback, with the hope that Tua will be that guy.

But developing an elite-level offensive line might be next on the to-do list and the Dolphins have spent a lot of draft capital over the past three years to accomplish that goal.

There was Michael Deiter and Isaiah Prince in 2019; Jackson, Hunt and Kindley in 2020; and Liam Eichenberg and Larnel Coleman this year.

In an ideal world, all those guys (except Prince, of course) will be major factors on the offensive line for years to come.

Jackson, Hunt and Kindley appear on their way after the vast game experience they got last year.

The question was asked to Jackson whether he's had conversations with the other two about being the foundation of the Dolphins offensive line.

“It sounds nice to say, but at the end of the day, what it really comes down to is you’ve got to look at what’s in front of you right now," Jackson said. "Right now, between all of us, our head is on this next season and what we can do, however it plays out, making sure that each one of us individually is putting the work in to be better and help those around us.

"For years to come? Yeah, I love it. That sounds great. But keeping the reality of it, we know what we want to do next year. That’s kind of where we’re at for now.”