Offensive line play has been a problem for the Miami Dolphins since forever. And don’t look now, but the offensive line was once again a train wreck for the Dolphins on Sunday afternoon against the Buffalo Bills. Buffalo swarmed both Miami quarterbacks; the Dolphins probably could have played with six or seven offensive linemen during the course of the game and even then it probably wouldn’t have felt like enough to keep Tua Tagovailoa or Jacoby Brissett standing.
The issues up front for Miami are maddening given the draft investments this team has made into the line — they’ve spent numerous top-100 selections on linemen in the last few years in an effort to build up the talent level.
So what gives?
The problems lie largely at tackle — where Jesse Davis and Austin Jackson continuously whiffed time and time again on Sunday against the Bills; providing hardly an ounce of resistance as the Bills’ defenders screamed into the pocket for high-speed, violent collisions with Miami’s quarterbacks. Including the blow that bruised starter Tua Tagovailoa’s ribs and knocked him from the game in the first quarter.
Miami does have another option at tackle — 2021 rookie Liam Eichenberg was drafted in the 2nd-round by the Dolphins with his appeal being that he’s a high-floor, high-experience player at Notre Dame. Based off the first two weeks of the Dolphins’ season, he’s the best tackle on the roster. And, mysteriously, he can’t seem to keep a job among the starting five.
Whatever evaluation process the Dolphins are undergoing that tells them that Austin Jackson and/or Jesse Davis deserve to start over Liam Eichenberg is failing them massively. And it may have cost them significant time with their starting quarterback in the early portions of this season.
But even with Eichenberg in the mix; Miami is going to need another tackle. Perhaps the lightbulb magically comes on for Austin Jackson? But Miami’s returns for the No. 18 overall pick in the 2020 draft have been woefully bad to this point in time. Jackson is playing worse in 2021 between the preseason and Week 2 than he did in 2020. It is time to introduce competition to that spot on the line.
But even still, the larger issue at hand is that Miami has almost no proven quality starters up front at the NFL level. All of this youth is great; but the variance for all five players on any given play creates a maddeningly bad experience. The Dolphins have cornered themselves into trusting their young talent to “figure it out”. That’s easier said that done. So when the Dolphins reach the end of the season and it is time spend in free agency, go out and find quality starter in the NFL at offensive tackle. Pay the needed price; even in an overpay.
It is all pretty poetic, in a cruel and twisted way. The Dolphins’ rebuild truly started with a decision to trade the only proven quality tackle on their roster for a massive haul. And now, with the rebuild considered over, the major thing they’re missing up front is a proven, quality tackle on their roster.