The Miami Dolphins will be an interesting team in 2025, but there are questions about how much improvement has been made this offseason.
For years now, the Dolphins fan base has been screaming for offensive line help. Chris Grier has pieced his line together with poor draft picks, cheap veteran castoffs, and other veterans trying to hang on to their careers. In the five seasons Tua Tagovailoa has been a quarterback in the NFL, Grier has used his quick release as an excuse for not fixing the line.
Marisa Marino of DolphinsTalk.com recently spoke with ESPN insider Louis Riddick about the Dolphins, and needless to say, if there was a push for Miami to hire him as the team's GM, it just got a lot louder.
The podcast host wasted no time diving into the heart of Miami's offensive problems. Citing a recent ESPN Live discussion where Riddick said the Dolphins need to give Tua more protection, Marisa asked if Chris Grier did enough this offseason to fix the line problems.
Dolphins GM Chris Grier still refuses to invest in the offensive line
Riddick pointed to the interior of the Dolphins' offensive line as being where Tagovaiola needs the most protection. Miami has not spent a lot of time fortifying the guard positions over the last several years. This year, they bulked up with James Daniels and Jonah Savaiianea Riddick believes both Daniels and Savaiianea will be highly important.
Recently, former Dolphins left tackle Terron Armstead mentioned a comparison between Tua and future Hall of Fame QB Drew Brees. Riddick sees that parallel as well.
Riddick made it clear that Brees was well-protected, especially inside where he had two very good guards to keep him clean. Many quarterbacks can adjust their pocket play from outside rush by stepping up in the pocket, but when they can't move up, there is nowhere to go.
All of the blame wasn't placed solely on the line. Riddick made sure to point that Tua himself has to do a better job of keeping himself healthy and out of harms way. While there is only so much he can do when the pocket collapses, Tagovailoa can control a lot of his health problems.
So does Riddick think the Dolphins did enough? He thinks they "have tried to address from a personnel perspective", but Riddick wants to see if Mike McDaniel and the coaching staff can get it to work.