Former strength of Dolphins has mutated into a gigantic problem in 2024

The Miami Dolphins ran through the 2023 season like they wanted to control the league. Raheem Mostert tied Christian McCaffrey for the most touchdowns in 2023, and the Dolphins were a hard team to stop.

Entering the 2024 season, it seemed as though the strength of the rushing attack would further allow Miami head coach Mike McDaniel to exploit defensive secondaries. That didn't happen. Instead, teams took away the Dolphins' passing game, and they were unable to make teams pay by running the ball.

The injury to quarterback Tua Tagovailoa clearly played a part in Miami's failures early in the season, but for a stretch of five games, the Dolphins' rushing attack was dominant. They posted 106, 193, 188, 150, and 149 yards over that period. Then, their success suddenly disappeared.

Since their 149-yard effort against the Buffalo Bills in Week 9, Miami has not gone over 100 yards rushing, and the closest they came was an 82-yard effort against the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 11. Two weeks ago, they posted 39 against the Green Bay Packers on Thanksgiving and only 44 against the New York Jets last week.

So what is going on?

What is wrong with the Miami Dolphins rushing attack in 2024?

1. The Dolphins are not a physically sound football team and that plays a role

Miami isn't known for its power running game. That has been evident this year with their lack of success in short-yardage situations. This has been a problem all year for the Dolphins but especially noticeable over the last two weeks.

Mostert should be the Dolphins bulldozer, but he has been banged up. Jeff Wilson is another physical type of runner, but he hasn't been put in the field enough. Instead, McDaniel has run it with De'Von Achane and Jaylen Wright. Both runners can break a big gain at any time, but neither is known for the tough yards inside, and defenses are realizing they have limitations.

2. The guard position remains an unaddressed problem for the Dolphins

Robert Jones continues to get better but will he ever be more than serviceable? Liam Eichenberg is playing better but considering his floor, better is far from great. The two of them are not getting the push and control in the middle, and that limits Miami's offensive options, especially in short-yardage situations.

Miami can not consistently run up the middle and Eichenberg especially can't hold his blocks long enough or push the defender off the ball to create a hole. That has to change, but Dolphins general manager Chris Grier has yet to prioritize it.

3. Too many missing pieces from last year's team are showing the Dolphins weaknesses

Yes, injuries happen, but Austin Jackson remained healthy last year, and Robert Hunt was healthy throughout most of the season until the end. Hunt left in free agency, and Jackson is on injured reserve.

This takes us back to Jones' inability to be consistent. Terron Armstead has remained healthy up until recently. Patrick Paul is the future left tackle, but he still has work to do.

How are the Miami Dolphins going to fix these problems?

Grier hasn't tried to fix the line. Eichenberg has been a problem since day one. Jones was an undrafted free agent, and the best draft pick at the position was allowed to leave last offseason.

Miami will once again enter the offseason with a need for a guard, and frankly, Grier has shown no ability to fix the problems. Free agency would help, but the Dolphins have other needs that will have to be taken care of and not a lot of cap space.

They could use a draft pick, but that, too, isn't something Grier typically does, and when he does, he doesn't often do it well.

Chances are the Dolphins 2024 season will inevitably come down to the offensive line issues, and they will keep them out of the playoffs. All these questions lead to the biggest of them all, how do they fix it?

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