Solomon Kindley must play better in the passing game

Even in victory there are things or players that can be found that need to improve. Week one of the 2021 season is no different and Solomon Kindley is a reason.

The player performances in this game run the gamut. Some played really well and some, well, did not play so well. Unfortunately for Solomon Kindley he falls into the latter.

Solomon’s struggles yesterday came mostly in the pass game. According to Pro Football Focus (PFF), Kindley was the lowest graded Dolphins offensive lineman in the passing game yesterday. His 35.2 score was 25 points less than any of his teammates (Robert Hunt 60.4). I know PFF isn’t the end all be all but it does provide a data point that can be used to compare players against each other. If you’re unfamiliar with PFF’s grading system, anything below a 60 is considered replaceable.

When I looked back at some of the major plays Kindley stood out, and not in a good way.

• On the Kyle Van Noy sack, Kindley blocked no one, literally. He tried near the end of the play to put a hat on a linebacker but by that point Van Noy was already on top of Tua.
• Later in the game Tua threw a near interception that bounced off the hands of Devin McCourty. On this play Lawrence Guy just manhandles Kindley pushing him into Tua’s face forcing Tagovailoa to have to scramble.
• Just before the half Liam Eichenberg got steamrolled, or did he, for a sack that caused the Dolphins to have to settle for a field goal. When you look closer at the play you can clearly see Solomon Kindley’s foot get extended and trip Eichenberg causing him to get pancaked. Now I get it, these things happen but you also have to wonder if the footwork and technique was a problem.
• Finally, Kindley got flagged for an ineligible player downfield that negated what looked like a critical 3rd down conversion at midfield. Again, the play may have broken down and caused Kindley to be downfield but the fact remains that when the flag came out, it was Kindley’s number that got called.

Solomon’s day wasn’t all bad though. He did have a few really nice blocks in the run game that helped spring some nice gains. Firing out and getting push is Solomon’s strong suit but he has to clean up his pass protection or he could see himself relegated to the bench.