Offensive line solid in Dolphins loss

There really wasn’t much time to properly gauge the Miami Dolphins first team offense during their 27-10 preseason loss to the Chicago Bears.

For one very impressive drive, the starting offense looked dynamic. Ryan Tannehill threw only one incomplete pass, Lamar Miller and Damien Williams looked great, and the wide receivers made some drive-extending plays.

More from Phin Phanatic

• 4 offensive tackles Miami Dolphins could draft at 51
• Miami Dolphins don’t need CB help but these 5 could be available at 51
• 4 players that could replace Wilkins if Miami Dolphins don’t re-sign him
• Miami Dolphins have a starting point with Wilkins after Simmons deal
• The Miami Dolphins should not take a running back in the draft

Then there was the elephant in the room. The offensive line. Since training camp opened, the offensive line has been the subject of worry and ridicule. But not last night.

Tannehill and backup Matt Moore had plenty of time with the first and second team offensive lines in the game. The only time Tannehill had to run for his life was when he couldn’t find an open receiver. Even then he found plenty of time and scrambled for a first down.

The offensive line, already having run blocking as a strength, created some holes against the Bears defense to allow Miller and Williams to make some plays. The run blocking allowed Miller to pick up a 27-yard dash early in the possession. Miller would have had another long run after that, but it was called back on a hold.

That was the only slight against the first team offensive line. Left tackle Jason Fox and right guard Billy Turner were each flagged for holding. The Miami offense made up for Fox’s hold within three downs, but Turner’s penalty is concerning.

Miami Dolphins

Down by the goal line, Turner’s holding infraction threw the offense out to the 12 yard line. Tannehill and company would have been forced to settle for a field goal if not for an offsides penalty on Chicago and going for it on fourth and goal.

Had this been a regular season game, that fourth and goal call would have been a field goal. Instead, since it’s the preseason, head coach Joe Philbin went for it and the offense finally overcame the Turner hold.

Turner saw plenty of game action though. He and Jamil Douglas are jockeying for a starting guard position, and therefore saw extended game action as the coaches need to evaluate them as much as possible.

But it wasn’t all good news for the offensive line. Once Ryan Tannehill exited the game, the offense sputtered. Once Moore exited the game, everything went downhill. This includes the third team offensive line, which was just bad.

However, nearly every third team position got smoked. So a new problem may emerge from this game, depth could turn out to be the Dolphins’ true weakness in just about every position.

With it being the preseason, getting the win would have been nice, but it’s not what really matters here. The Dolphins first team offensive looked impressive in their only drive. It had the strong foundation of solid pass protection and run blocking. This is a great first step for a unit that was practically in panic mode a few days ago.

Now the Miami faithful can only wait until the next preseason game against the Carolina Panthers on August 22 to see if the offensive line can build off such a performance with extended playing time.