Tackle depth should be an open competition.
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One of the more enjoyable times of the football offseason for a lot of Miami Dolphins fans would be identifying rookies, especially undrafted free agents, who could have an opportunity to make a name for themselves over the summer during training camp.
As highlighted throughout this series, Miami’s 2023 undrafted free agent class is plentiful, in depth, yet each rookie will find a difficult path to the 53-man team thanks to a very talented overall roster.
A position group to watch overall this summer will be the offensive line, specifically the right tackle position, as well as at left guard. Miami has signed a few veterans recently off the free agent scrap heap, a pair of former first-round picks in Cedric Ogbuehi and Isaiah Wynn.
While each not living up to that billing thus far in their respective careers, Wynn at least could battle Austin Jackson at right tackle based on the money he received from the Dolphins earlier in the week, which was a base salary for 2023 of $2.3 million that could hit $2.7 million with incentives.
Ogbuehi is more of a depth swing tackle/camp body to compete with players like Kion Smith, Kendall Lamm and Geron Christian for a chance to fill out the back of the room. Added into the mix would be Ryan Hayes from Michigan, a drafted tackle in the seventh round from last month’s selection process.
Hayes could even be a candidate to vie for a guard role along with the likes of free agent Dan Feeney, who could even play center, and Robert Jones, a former UDFA himself.
Left guard is another position that Mike McDaniel and his coaching staff could toy with. 2021 second-round pick Liam Eichenberg is another early investment who isn’t necessarily safe and guaranteed a full season as a starter.
Back to the undrafted free agent of focus, James Tunstall of Cincinnati is a left tackle who stands tall at 6-foot-7, which would share in the honor of the tallest current Dolphin along with defensive lineman Raekwon Davis and the aforementioned Hayes.
Tunstall was well-traveled before settling into being a Bearcat staple on their offensive line for two seasons. He began his collegiate career at UConn before transferring to FCS’ Stony Brook.
In 2019, at Stony Brook, Tunstall was an FCS All-American, starting nine games at left tackle as a sophomore. After another transfer, but this time to Cincinnati, Tunstall worked his way into the starting left tackle spot a few games into the year and stayed there for the final 11 contests.
He was part of a unit that was ranked ninth in the nation in 2021 in yards per play and second in the AAC in yards per rush. This offensive line also limited the yardage losses and gave up just 53 tackles behind the line all year long. Tunstall built off his 2021 campaign by starting all 13 of the Bearcats’ games in 2022 while earning Second-team All-AAC honors.
From a scouting standpoint, Tunstall was not a predicted draft weekend prospect, but with his size and run-blocking prowess, he could be a candidate to watch for in a mix of guard and swing tackle opportunities.
He’s a technically sound blocker, yet he needs improvement with his footwork and could struggle on the outside against fast edge-rushers in pass protection. If the Dolphins wanted to limit liability and maximize his potential, his size and run-game presence could be something Miami coaches focus on.
The Dolphins also signed several other offensive linemen as the NFL draft ended, and since then, three have been waived, yet Tunstall remains as one of three rookie offensive linemen. He, Hayes and UDFA center Alama Uluave still have a chance to make it to training camp.
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