2022 Dolphins positional preview: The offensive line is improved, but there are still questions
The 2021 edition of the Miami Dolphins got one of the worst offensive line performances among all of the teams in the NFL.
Between inexperienced coaches and poor effort, the line wasn’t able to protect quarterback Tua Tagovailoa or get any push for the team’s running game. As a result, the offense struggled to string drives together, keeping them from a postseason birth for the fifth straight season.
With the Dolphins ready to hit the field for training camp near the end of the month, it’s as good of a time as any to assess the roster. We’ve touched on quarterbacks, running backs, wide receivers and tight ends, so, today, we’re focusing on the big men up front.
Terron Armstead
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Armstead received a massive contract this offseason to help solidify Miami’s offensive line. In his career, he’s been an outstanding leader and provided the New Orleans Saints with great performances whenever he was on the field.
Heading into 2022, in a new location, and coming off of another injury, Armstead still has something to prove. However, he knows what he needs to do and what he needs to see from the other guys around him if they want to achieve anything this year.
Liam Eichenberg
AP Photo/Tyler Kaufman
Eichenberg struggled mightily in 2021. He finished the year with a 50.7 grade from Pro Football Focus, good for No. 83 out of 84 qualified tackles. Part of the problem may have been that he was asked to move around a lot, playing multiple positions on the line by year’s end.
This year, Eichenberg is rumored to be placed next to Armstead at left guard. There are a ton of questions surrounding his play entering this season, with his fit into this new blocking scheme being chief among them.
Connor Williams
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The Dolphins gave Dallas Cowboys left guard Connor Williams a decent chunk of change to come to Miami, and in one of the more surprising moves of the offseason, they seem to have moved him to center.
Williams has yet to play the position in a regular season game, but he has a skill set that should allow him to transition successfully. If he can make that move seamlessly, as well as eliminate the penalties, he will be another veteran next to Eichenberg to help guide him.
Robert Hunt
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Hunt is the only returning member of the starting offensive line that the Dolphins appear to have enough faith in to leave him alone. Last season, he provided some solid reps in both pass and run-blocking, and his athleticism and strength should help him with adjusting to the new scheme.
Austin Jackson
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Jackson, like most of the line, was also poor last season, as he got opportunities at both left tackle and left guard. In 2022, the Dolphins are rumored to be flipping him to the right side to play tackle and protect Tagovailoa’s backside.
This may be the biggest gamble of the offseason. If it works, the coaching staff and front office could look like geniuses, but if it doesn’t, they will have a lot of questions.
Michael Deiter
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With Williams moving to center, Deiter is out of a spot at this point. Having him as a backup is a luxury, as he was a decent starter, but he missed time last year with an injury. He has positional versatility to play guard and center, so he could provide some much-needed depth for the interior.
Robert Jones
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Jones made the roster in 2021 as an undrafted free agent and got an opportunity to start over Jesse Davis in the final week of the season before going out with an injury.
It would make sense to see Jones stick around again this year with the flexibility to play guard and tackle.
Larnel Coleman
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Coleman was selected in the seventh round of last year’s draft and was placed on injured reserve before the start of the season. With a new coaching staff, he has a fresh slate to earn a spot on the active roster or practice squad.
Greg Little
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At 24 years old, Little hasn’t exactly lived up to his second-round draft status in 2019. Just two years after the Carolina Panthers took him 37th overall they shipped him to Miami for a seventh-round pick.
If he wasn’t good enough to get an opportunity to start last season, it seems unlikely that he’ll be around on the active roster.
Adam Pankey
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Pankey has been with Miami since late 2019. In 2021, he spent nearly the entire season on the practice squad, elevating one time to the active roster as a COVID-19 replacement. After two full years with the Dolphins, it doesn’t seem like he’s progressed to pushing for a roster spot, so he’ll have to fight hard for the practice squad.
Kion Smith
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Smith was also undrafted last season, originally signing with Atlanta. He joined Miami’s practice squad right around Week 1 and made it through the full season. With an actual offseason under his belt in Miami, there’s a chance that he shows he’s deserving a depth spot.
Blaise Andries
AP Photo/Bruce Kluckhohn
Andries was undrafted this year after a collegiate career at Minnesota where he played multiple spots along the line. He has the size of a prototypical lineman (6-foot-6, 308 lbs), but he left a lot to be desired in terms of strength and athleticism. He may be able to catch on with the practice squad.
Cole Banwart
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Banwart was signed this offseason after UDFA center Ty Clary failed his physical and left a spot open in the middle of the line. He jumped around between Tennessee, Minnesota and the New York Giants in 2021, but with the depth that Miami has at his position, he would need an injury or trade to make the team.
Kellen Diesch
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Diesch was one of the undrafted prospects that got some attention this offseason. After a collegiate career at Arizona State, he was expected to be a mid-round pick. We actually projected him as a fit for Miami in the sixth round.
Draft analysts had him pinned as a good fit for zone blocking, so the Dolphins may be interested in keeping him around. It would probably take some impressive tape to see Diesch make the roster, but with some NFL strength and conditioning, he could be a decent piece in the future.
