If the Miami Dolphins backs were pushed into a corner after losing to Green Bay on Thanksgiving, they were thrown against the wall after losing to the Houston Texans. Now, the Dolphins are standing on the final rung of a big ladder, looking down at the New England Patriots, New York Jets, and everyone else officially eliminated from the playoffs.
The hands of those teams are reaching up to grab at the ankles, ready to pull them into the 2024 abyss of failure alongside them. Now, the Dolphins may be making a critical offensive line change that is coming a week too late.
According to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald, Liam Eichenberg, who has started all season at right guard, may not be starting on Sunday when the Dolphins face the San Francisco 49ers. If he sits, Isaiah Wynn is expected to take his place.
This is where it gets interesting and where Miami should be questioned about its decisions. If we roll the calendar back to Week 15, the Dolphins had Wynn activated and on the sideline against the Texans. Miami opted to start Jackson Carman at right tackle despite Carman having little NFL experience lining up as a tackle.
In his previous three seasons, Carman has started six games, all as a guard, and none since his rookie year in 2021. This season, he filled in for Kendall Lamm at right tackle but started his first game against Houston last week, and it didn't go very well.
The issue fans pointed out was Eichenberg had experience at right tackle and this would have allowed Miami to start Wynn at right guard. Even if the Dolphins benched Eichenberg, the results could have been different. Wynn is a lot better than the starting right guard who now may be benched.
Miami Dolphins might have defeated the Houston Texans if Isaiah Wynn started
Now that the season is officially on the brink of elimination, with Miami out of the playoff race if they lose to San Francisco on Sunday, they suddenly decide they want to make a change on the offensive line. Hopefully, this is the Dolphins' wake-up call for how important fixing the line actually is.
Eichenberg, Wynn, and Carman will all be free agents after the season, and Carman may be the only one who could be worth re-signing to a one-year deal.
Wynn spent most of the year on injured reserve, and Eichenberg is the most inconsistent member of the offensive line, which is saying something since it's a group that also includes Robert Jones.