MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Here’s the best way to understand why the Miami Dolphins didn’t trade for an offensive lineman, didn’t claim an offensive lineman off waivers, and on Wednesday cut what some on the outside saw as one of their two or three best interior offensive linemen:
They simply evaluate the position differently than pretty much anyone else.
Miami Dolphins 2024 Offensive Line, Explained
That’s the only explanation for their behavior over the last six months. They lost their two best interior linemen (Robert Hunt and Connor Williams) from 2023 and replaced them with, on paper, inferior talents.
Those decisions, plus bad injury luck, have sparked a torrent of criticism from pretty much all corners, including this website.
Dolphins GM Chris Grier simply thinks we’re all wrong.
He not only declined to make a waiver claim on a single interior lineman this week, but he on Wednesday cut Jack Driscoll, who allowed just two pressures in 119 snaps this preseason.
Instead, he kept undrafted rookie Andrew Meyer, who Grier said reminds him of a truck driver.
Chris Grier’s Take
“Mike [McDaniel] and I were talking about this the other day, with the offensive line, how every year, you guys are like, ‘Not good enough, not good enough,'” Grier said at a news conference Wednesday. “But then offensively, we’re a pretty good offense the last two years.
“A number of you guys have talked about how the guys have improved,” Grier continued. “Those guys on the offensive line have worked their tails off. We feel confident in them. The coaching staff believes in them, and Butch [Barry] and Mike and Frank [Smith] have done a great job, and Lem [Jeanpierre] in helping those guys develop and work.
“So I think the important thing is they all work together. It’s a really cohesive unit, and just watching them work together is great. Every day they hang out together. So it’s a very close-knit unit.”
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Chemistry is great. Execution is better. And with the group the Dolphins have fielded this summer, there certainly have been some troublesome moments in both preseason games and joint practices.
Certainly, we haven’t yet seen the finished product.
Left tackle Terron Armstead is on a maintenance plan and didn’t do much this summer. Center Aaron Brewer hasn’t practiced in three weeks with a hand injury. And guard Isaiah Wynn (quad) might not play at all this year, although the team is hopeful to have him at some point.
But the Dolphins have been here before. Just last year, in fact.
Injuries forced them to use 12 different offensive line combinations in 2023, and the Dolphins still led the league in total yards.
How Dolphins Make It Work
How did they do it? By using a system in which guards aren’t irrelevant per se, but are certainly interchangeable.
McDaniel’s version of the Mike Shanahan offense values players who can do certain things well (namely, move). And the Dolphins believe they have that.
“I think it’s all about being coachable,” said Liam Eichenberg, who will start the season at either center or right guard, depending on Brewer’s health. “I think that’s the biggest thing. I think a lot of guys on the O-line are used to kind of just being like maulers and just grabbing guys and using like brute strength.
“But I say with this style of offense and like the wide zone, like you’re talking about it, like it’s so important, the technique and the fundamentals. You need to be able to be coached in like the footwork and also like your hand placement, head placement. And I think that is like the biggest key, you know what I mean? Obviously, like athleticism matters. But I think if you can’t get down with the fundamentals, it’s gonna be hard.”
Lester Cotton will likely start at right guard if Brewer isn’t back for Week 1. When PFN asked the former Las Vegas Raider if it’s fair to say that the Dolphins evaluate linemen differently than other teams, he replied:
“Absolutely. With this offense, Butch and Mike and Frank, they all looking for runners. On this team, you got to be able to run. So your conditioning has to be top-tier. You play like 60 plays a game, so you gotta be able to run for 60 players. That’s how I see it. This offense is about running. So I just try to get on my horse and run as fast as I can.”