Miami Dolphins camp preview: Danny Isidora and Shaq Calhoun battle

Danny Isidora and Shaq Calhoun will compete for final spot on the Miami Dolphins roster.

The Miami Dolphins have plenty of options for their ninth and most likely final offensive line spot. However, the most likely options are guards Danny Isidora and Shaq Calhoun. Between the two of them, they started ten games for Miami in 2020. As training camp gets closer, it appears that they have the two best chances of being the final offensive lineman for the Dolphins.

NFL teams typically carry nine offensive linemen during the season. As of right now, the Dolphins have eight players that seem to have “locked up” roster spots. Free-agent signings Ereck Flowers and Ted Karras joined Michael Deiter, Jesse Davis, and Julien Davenport this Spring. In the 2020 NFL draft, the Dolphins selected Austin Jackson, Robert Hunt, and Solomon Kindley.

So, what about the ninth and likely final spot? Well, that competition seems to be boiling down to two players: Danny Isidora and Shaq Calhoun. Isidora is a local guy going into year four who was brought over in a trade from the Minnesota Vikings prior to last season. Calhoun, going into his second season out of Mississippi State is younger and started more games in 2019.

Isidora started the first three games for Miami last season before being placed on injured reserve. Calhoun filled in for him, but his snap counts were all over the place, only playing all of the offensive snaps in four of his seven starts. Neither one of them were particularly better than the other, but certainly can be serviceable backups. They would also likely never play, as the Dolphins have great depth at guard.

The wildcard in this entire situation would have been rookie free agent center, Donnell Stanley. As of a week ago, Stanley would have been enticing to Miami’s coaching staff because of his ability to play center, the position he played in college. Unfortunately for him, the Dolphins will be giving reps at center to both Michael Deiter and Jesse Davis. Stanley will most likely end up on the practice squad.

Synopsis

So, who wins the competition, Isidora or Calhoun? In any other off-season, it would be impossible to predict. However, as all things are in 2020, this year is different. Experience and continuity will pay off this off-season. NFL teams will have a total of eight padded practices before games are played. The Dolphins have seen one full game of Danny Isidora in three starts. On top of that, the Miami Dolphins team that kicked off the season against Baltimore was very different than the one who went into New England in week 17 and beat the Patriots. Calhoun was the starter when the offense was humming. The coaches have more tape of Calhoun on top of the fact that he is younger and not coming off an injury. It is more likely that Calhoun wins the final spot.