The Miami Dolphins entered the 2025 offseason needing to beef up their offensive line. With free agency's initial two waves completed, they didn't do as much as most expected.
Signing James Daniels was a good move despite the risk of injury. The addition of Larry Borom was considered good value, at best, given his lack of experience. When Miami brought back Liam Eichenberg on a one-year deal, fans needed tissue to stop the nosebleed after their knee-jerk reactions.
One player many thought might be a good fit for the Dolphins wasn't considered a realistic option. However, now that Teven Jenkins' contract with the Cleveland Browns is available, the Dolphins could have had a better depth option than Borom.
Jenkins has played both guard and tackle over his four NFL seasons. While he has health concerns (he has missed games in each of his four years), he has started in almost every game he has played in. In total, Jenkins has started in 38 of 45 games.
In most cases, you can't compare players head-to-head, but considering Borom and Jenkins were Bears teammates with similar experience, it is a much easier comparison to make. Borom has 27 starts, comparatively.
Jenkins played 738 snaps to Borom's 330. Despite that, PFF credits Jenkins with only four sacks and one hit allowed, while Borom gave up a team-high seven sacks and two hits — on 408 fewer snaps.
Jenkins is a better player. Early free agency predictions put Jenkins in the $40 million-per-year range, but the Browns got him for pennies on the dollar.
Dolphins easily could have added Teven Jenkins to their offensive line over Larry Borom
Per Spotrac, Borom's contract with the Dolphins is one year in length with a cap hit of $2.5 million and a $1.3 million signing bonus. His base salary is $1.17 million.
Jenkins' contract details make the two almost identical.
Jenkins will get a one-year deal worth up to $3 million with a $1.5 million signing bonus and a total of $2.6 million guaranteed. His base salary is only slightly more at $1.7 million.
The Dolphins are rolling the dice with Borom, who has a similar history of missing games and slightly less experience, but Jenkins was considered the better option. The Dolphins may have sniffed around, but considering they added Borom on the first day, they didn't do much waiting to see what Jenkins may have signed for.
Is it another mistake by Chris Grier and the Dolphins? That will be seen after the season begins, but given the Dolphins' needs along the line, they could have signed both and let them compete.