Miami Dolphins guard situation as 2018 league year approaches
By Brian Miller
The Miami Dolphins hope to compete in 2018 and finding better balance on offense is a big start. That however means Miami must find a solution at offensive guard.
It has been a problem for the Dolphins for years now, lack of consistency at both guard positions has been a problem. It has hurt the tackles and put unneeded burden on the center. All of whom have had to take up the slack of the confusion at guard.
2018 is a rehash of last season and the season before that. Finding quality starters at guard is a priority.
Miami may however have at least one guard that can play in 2018 as a starter. Jesse Davis showed a lot of growth the more time he spent at guard and he has the physical tools to play the position. He could develop into a top guard in the league but he has a long way to go.
The other guard position doesn’t have much to hope for. Ted Larsen didn’t really perform all that well and Isaac Asiata the Dolphins 4th round pick in 2017 didn’t play. Miami knew his development would be slow but not having him get real game experience isn’t going to expedite his learning.
The Dolphins love to sign and/or draft players that can play both guard and tackle or tackle and then convert them to guards. This works in the case of Davis but it doesn’t work in many other cases. Miami needs to find a guard. Not a guard/center or a tackle/guard, just a guard.
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Many believe Miami will think very hard of drafting Quenton Nelson of Notre Dame if he is there at pick 11. While it is high for a guard, Nelson is considered to be one of if not the best offensive lineman in this years draft. And he does fill a major need for the Dolphins offense.
In 2017 Miami struggled with run blocking and pass protection so addressing this issue is imperative. The Dolphins could also go the free agent route. In the last several years however the Dolphins have low-balled potential free agents and then watched them sign elsewhere.
How the Dolphins address the position will go a long way towards seeing a better output offensively in 2018.