All Dolphins

Another Move on Offensive Line

The Miami Dolphins reportedly are signing veteran center Austin Reiter off the New Orleans practice squad

Alain Poupart

The Miami Dolphins continue to look for solution for their struggling offensive line, and it looks like the latest move will involve poaching the New Orleans Saints practice squad.

Veteran center Austin Reiter, who started 28 games for the Kansas City Chiefs the past two seasons, will be joining the Dolphins from the Saints practice squad, according to NFL reporter Aaron Wilson.

Reiter was elevated from the Saints practice squad for their games against Carolina and New England in Weeks 2 and 3 but he did not play in either game despite being active.

He signed with the Saints practice squad in September after no team picked him up in free agency this offseason.

After starting 12 games in 2020, Reiter was part of the Kansas City purge of its offensive line in the aftermath of the blowout loss against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Super Bowl LV.

Reiter was part of an offensive line that allowed the Bucs to sack Patrick Mahomes three times but more importantly harass him all night on their way to a 31-9 victory.

Not one of the starting offensive linemen for the Chiefs in Super Bowl LV started in their 2021 opener.

Word from Joshua Brisco, publisher of SI Fan Nation sister site Arrowhead Report, is that Reiter is a middle-of-the-pack center who relies a lot more on finesse than power.

His work in pass protection earned high grades from Pro Football Focus, which ranked him third among all centers over the past three seasons.

Reiter has the ability to play guard, but don't be surprised to see him challenging Greg Mancz for the starting center job.

Michael Deiter was placed on injured reserve Saturday and there's been no word on exactly how long he'll be out, though this transaction would suggest his return might come later rather than sooner.

Reiter becomes the third veteran to join the Dolphins since August, following tackle Greg Little and Mancz, who arrived in trades with Carolina and Baltimore, respectively.

The offensive line has been a sore spot for the Dolphins all season, and there have been four different starting combinations in the first four games.

And after another sub-par performance against the Colts on Sunday, it's impossible to say for certain that more changes aren't on the way.

“I think we are evaluating everything," head coach Brian Flores said Monday. "We are evaluating what we are seeing on the offensive line, the defensive line and really across the board. We are going to take a hard look at really everything we are doing, to include the offensive line. We’ve had to make changes due to injury or performance this year and we will continue to evaluate it and if we feel like we need to make a change, we will.”

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Alain Poupart
ALAIN POUPART

Alain Poupart is the publisher/editor of All Dolphins and co-host of the All Dolphins Podcast. Alain has covered the Miami Dolphins on a full-time basis since 1989 for various publications and media outlets, including Dolphin Digest, The Associated Press, the Dolphins team website, and the Fan Nation Network (part of Sports Illustrated). In addition to being a credentialed member of the Miami Dolphins press corps, Alain has covered three Super Bowls (for NFL.com, Football News and the Montreal Gazette), the annual NFL draft, the Senior Bowl, and the NFL Scouting Combine. During his almost 40 years in journalism, which began at the now-defunct Miami News, Alain has covered practically every sport at one time or another, from tennis to golf, baseball, basketball and everything in between. The career also included time as a copy editor, including work on several books such as "Still Perfect," an inside look at the Miami Dolphins' 1972 perfect season. A native of Montreal, Canada, whose first language is French, Alain grew up a huge hockey fan but soon developed a love for all sports, including NFL football. He has lived in South Florida since the 1980s.

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