Phin Phanatic
FanSided

An article about the Miami Dolphins’ offensive line

By Shawn Digity

IOWA CITY, IOWA- NOVEMBER 23: Offensive lineman Tristan Wirfs #74 of the Iowa Hawkeyes celebrates with teammates after their match-up against the Nebraska Cornhuskers on November 23, 2018 at Kinnick Stadium, in Iowa City, Iowa. (Photo by Matthew Holst/Getty Images)
IOWA CITY, IOWA- NOVEMBER 23: Offensive lineman Tristan Wirfs #74 of the Iowa Hawkeyes celebrates with teammates after their match-up against the Nebraska Cornhuskers on November 23, 2018 at Kinnick Stadium, in Iowa City, Iowa. (Photo by Matthew Holst/Getty Images) /
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I’m going to use this opportunity to talk about a unit on the Miami Dolphins that isn’t in good shape and always gets overshadowed by the glitz and glam of the quarterback issue. You guessed it. Let’s talk about the offensive line.

The Miami Dolphins offensive line? It needs work. And I’ll leave it at that.

So, where’s the best place to begin in repairing the offensive line woes?

There are two camps. One will pound on the table for addressing the issues in the draft with rookies to build a strong foundation for the next several years, and the other group is advocating for seasoned veterans through free agency.

The best answer is likely a happy medium between the two.

The Miami Dolphins will be spending in free agency; they’ll be forced to spend a certain amount in the next few seasons, so there will be some new faces on the team that they bring in from the free-agent market.

Some free agents that the Miami Dolphins could consider to help strengthen the offensive line include:

That’s not an exhausted list of offensive linemen that the Dolphins could bring in. There are plenty more.

The next part of the process is drafting guys.

If I have to hazard a guess, I will estimate that the Miami Dolphins will look to add three or four guys in their draft class alone. I’m sure many other undrafted players will get their shot in training camp, as well.

The Dolphins could safely pick up two young starters in the first two days, depending on how the board falls. Then, with the multitude of Day 3 picks, the Fins could take a couple of developmental, small-school, or depth players.

What makes the draft interesting is the caliber of different lineman that the Miami Dolphins will be able to access depending on how they decide to handle the quarterback situation.

If the Dolphins take Tua Tagovailoa with the fifth pick, for example, then they will miss out on a chance to select Andrew Thomas, Tristan Wirfs, or Jedrick Wills. But if someone like Jacob Eason or Jordan Love is who they decide to go after, then the team could address the offensive line first and use 18 or 26 on that quarterback.

If they want to use their 18th or 26th pick on the offensive line, then they could choose someone like Mekhi Becton from Lousiville, Tyler Biadasz from Wisconsin, Nick Harris from Washington, Josh Jones from Houston, or Cesar Ruiz from Michigan.

Going into the second and third rounds, they could choose players such as Lloyd Cushenberry from LSU, Ezra Cleveland from Boise State, Netane Muti from Fresno State, Austin Jackson from USC, Solomon Kindley from Georgia, Jack Driscoll from Auburn, or John Simpson from Clemson.

If the Miami Dolphins draft some key cogs in Days 1 and 2 and a couple of swing tackles, utility linemen, or depth players in the sixth or seventh rounds and sign some free agents, then they’ll be alright.

They’ll be able to go into the 2020 season as right as rain, at least as far as the offensive line is concerned.

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