In a press conference Tuesday, Miami Dolphins general manager Chris Grier defended his lack of concern about the team’s offensive line prior to the 2024 season. However, he also said investments up front are a must in the coming offseason.
“That group did nothing but work,” Grier said of the offensive line. “It’s the hardest working group in the building. … We feel like we have some good pieces there.”
After recording an NFL-best 5.1 yards per rushing attempt during the 2023 season, the Dolphins plummeted to 29th in the NFL in 2024 with 4.0 yards per carry.
Grier said it didn’t help that Austin Jackson, Kion Smith, and Isaiah Wynn suffered injuries that kept them out for most or all of the year.
“Through Week 9 or 10 we were still up there running the ball, moving, playing well. [Jackson] was a huge loss for us,” Grier said. “Once he went down, it was like a slow bleed-out the rest of the year with guys just playing through stuff, being nicked, battered, bruised.”
The team may have three long-term starters on the roster in Jackson, center Aaron Brewer, and 2024 second-round pick Patrick Paul. But guards Robert Smith and Liam Eichenberg struggled throughout the year, and veterans Terron Armstead and Kendall Lamm may be nearing retirement.
“I did think we had created some depth,” Grier said. “I think [the line] deserved some praise because of what they had done the year before. And they started the year out well, but unfortunately, injuries got to us and we didn’t finish well.
“We’re going to have to invest in the offensive line now. We’re just older there now. So yes, this is the time, like we did a few years ago … this is the time for us to invest in some offensive lineman.”
The Dolphins are projected to own 10 selections in the 2025 NFL draft, beginning with the No. 13 overall selection in the first round.
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