It’s officially the third day of the new league year, and the Miami Dolphins have made a number of moves to improve their team.
General manager Chris Grier has managed to add two running backs in Chase Edmonds and Raheem Mostert, Cedrick Wilson Jr. at wide receiver, Teddy Bridgewater as the backup quarterback, Alec Ingold at fullback, Connor Williams at guard and Keion Crossen as a special teams ace.
However, entering the offseason, it was apparent that Miami’s biggest need in the offseason was offensive line help, specifically at the tackle spots.
Last season, they got poor performances from Jesse Davis and rookie Liam Eichenberg throughout the season that really held the offense back. Now, in a period when they should be looking to bring in a veteran to fill at least one of those spots, Miami has been stagnant.
Chris Grier did say at the 2022 NFL Scouting Combine that he believed there were good, young players on the line that just need to play better. While that may be true of a guy like Eichenberg, who played three positions in his first year as a pro, the Davis experiment should be over.
Luckily for Miami, there are still options at the position, but they could go fast.
Former Dallas Cowboys tackle La’el Collins was released from his contract on Thursday after reports that Collins’ representation was allowed to seek a trade partner. While he just hit the market, he’s reportedly spending Friday with the Cincinnati Bengals, who could obviously offer Collins a chance to compete in a stacked conference and reunite with his former coach Frank Pollack.
The other top option at tackle this free agency period has been Terron Armstead, whose contract with the New Orleans Saints voided at the start of the league year. Armstead has been rumored to get top dollar on the market, but there hasn’t been much buzz about him since he became a free agent.
Armstead has been a great tackle when he’s healthy, but he’s also missed 33 games in the last six seasons, including nine games in 2021.
Miami could still find a tackle to make things easier on Tua Tagovailoa, their running backs, and their coaches, but it’s only a matter of time before their left with lackluster candidates.
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