Miami Dolphins still have holes on the offensive line that need to be fixed

Super Bowl LVII showcased something that the Miami Dolphins doesn’t have. A stellar offensive line and this year, Chris Grier needs to figure it out.

The Chiefs and especially the Eagles boasted offensive lines that were atop the league and both teams getting to the Super Bowl had a lot to do with how well the lines played. Miami? Not so much.

Grier spent big o-line help last season with big contracts to Terron Armstead and Connor Williams. Williams played the entire season and shined at center. Armstead played great as expected, when he was healthy but his health was a concern late in the season and the Dolphins have to have a backup plan for next year. Why? Because Armstead has never played a full season of NFL football and the Dolphins can’t expect him to in 2023.

Armstead and Williams are the least of Miami’s problems but right tackle and guard are areas that Miami needs to improve.

We can’t fault Robert Hunt for having an off-season. The fluctuating turnstile at right tackle did him no favors. Austin Jackson isn’t good enough to be a starter and while Grier believes that he and Liam Eichenberg are secure in their positions, the reality is that neither has shown the degree of consistency that would make this line…above average.

The problem that Grier faces is a financial one. He doesn’t have the spending to attack free agency like he did last year and if he does truly believe that Eichenberg and Jackson are the answers at left guard and right tackle then there are bigger issues and he is risking his team’s offensive performance and the health of his quarterback not looking to get better.

Miami doesn’t need to sign top guys but they need veterans with consistent seasons on their resume. They need guys like Connor Williams who have the right attitude and can compete for their jobs.

Free agency, I predict will be a bit of a letdown this year but after last season’s additions of Armstead and Williams, it won’t come close to matching. Grier, however, has to give McDaniel better players to work with at two positions that need to be fixed and a quality backup left tackle that can give Armstead breaks and time off. Without it, Mike McDaniel’s offense will not be fully realized.

How Grier gets those players will be interesting but it will be more interesting if he tries. He will have to, however. Miami has five impending free agents. Brandon Shell, Eric Fisher, Greg Little, Geron Christian, and Michael Dieter.

Fisher was a wasted signing and Miami basically gave him $2 million to show up at the facility. He contributed nothing to the team in his two weeks of the season. Both Shell and Little did contribute but both with mixed results. Shell was much better at right tackle than he was at left tackle.

Miami will need to add linemen but don’t expect them to be top-of-the-line tackles or guards. Miami’s best option may be to add one in the draft but with Grier’s inability to identify quality linemen in the draft, it’s best to go the FA route instead.