How Dolphins have turned a three-decade blind spot into a strength

For most of the 21st century, finding offensive linemen outside of the top half of the first round of the NFL Draft was a Dolphins organizational blind spot, to the point that you sometimes wondered if flipping a coin would have produced results similar to — or better than — what the Dolphins actually achieved.

That’s no longer the case.

And that important change in fortune — along with the acquisition of Tyreek Hill, Tua Tagovailoa’s development under Mike McDaniel and Raheem Mostert’s TD festival — ranks among the top reasons this Dolphins offense is humming after sputtering for most of two decades.

It isn’t only that the Dolphins put together a starting offensive line that allowed the fewest sacks in football when healthy.

It’s also that they have found mostly competent backups who limited a fierce Dallas pass rush to one sack and (according to ESPN) their fewest QB pressures in a game in three years.

They will need a similar effort on Sunday against a Baltimore team that leads the NFL in sacks, with 54.

Despite not having its entire offensive line together since the Philadelphia game on Oct. 22, Miami enters Week 17 having allowed the third-fewest sacks in the NFL (27) and averaging 5.0 yards per carry, which is best in the league.

Before going further, it’s important to note that Tagovailoa’s quick release has curtailed the number of sacks allowed. That shouldn’t be overlooked. But this shouldn’t be overlooked, either:

▪ The Dolphins, 21 months ago, smartly signed Connor Williams to a team-friendly two-year, $14 million deal and then had the foresight to move him from guard to center. Pro Football Focus rated him the best center in football before his season-ending ACL injury against Tennessee.

▪ Despite Terron Armstead’s durability issues, keep in mind that he has allowed no sacks and just four pressures in 238 pass blocking snaps. No offensive tackle in football has achieved that level of pass blocking success in that many snaps.

▪ The Dolphins shrewdly signed Isaiah Wynn, who didn’t allow a sack and permitted only four pressures in 224 pass blocking snaps at left guard before his quadriceps injury (likely season-ending) against Philadelphia. No NFL guard has matched that level of pass blocking efficiency in as many snaps this season.

▪ They wisely drafted Robert Hunt, who was one of the best right guards in football (one sack allowed in 297 pass blocking chances) before a hamstring injury sidelined him six of the past seven games.

▪ They sensibly moved Austin Jackson to right tackle when McDaniel became coach and showed prudent patience in giving him a second season at the position after injuries sidelined him most of last season.

Before missing the Dallas game with an oblique injury, Jackson’s pass rush metrics (three sacks permitted in 513 pass blocking snaps) were near the top of the AFC, combined with good run blocking metrics. (Per PFF, Armstead and Jackson are ninth and 28th as run blockers, among 80 qualifying tackles.)

▪ They made a good decision trying Liam Eichenberg at center. Since struggling against Buffalo in his first career game at center on Oct. 1, Eichenberg has been a competent fill-in for Williams in four games, permitting just one sack and deftly handling line calls.

“He’s been monumental for us,” Armstead said. “He’s as tough as they come. Being a very smart guy, putting guys in the right position, ID’ing correctly.”

Eichenberg didn’t allow a sack against Dallas despite the Cowboys trying to flummox him with Micah Parsons and others lining up opposite him.

▪ They found serviceable overlooked layers in Robert Jones (signed by Miami as an undrafted free agent out of Middle Tennessee State in 2021), Kendall Lamm (signed three months after the Lions released him last August) and Lester Cotton (signed five days after the Raiders released him last December).

Have those three backups — and Eichenberg — been perfect? Of course not. But they did the job the past two weeks.

Cotton had a key block on Tyreek Hill’s late third-down conversion on a screen pass against Dallas. Jones, a skilled run blocker, had a key block on Jeff Wilson Jr.’s late third-down conversion against the Cowboys, making Jason Sanders’ game-winning field goal a shorter one. Lamm generally neutralized Parsons when they went head-to-head and has been a godsend amid injuries to Armstead and more recently, Jackson.

To understand the significance of all of these smart decisions, consider:

Since Don Shula picked future three-time Pro Bowl guard Keith Sims with the 39th overall pick in the 1990 draft, the Dolphins have selected 17 guards or tackles in the second, third or fourth rounds.

Do you know how many of those 17 turned out to be very good players? One: Hunt, a Chris Grier second-round pick in 2020. Jonathan Martin, John Jerry, Eddie Blake and others were more representative of the Dolphins’ regrettable second- and third-round decisions for 30 years.

Turns out, none of the offensive linemen selected by Grier in the first two days of the 2020 and 2021 drafts have been busts. Hunt has Pro Bowl potential, Jackson (picked 18th in 2020) has been very good this season and Eichenberg (42nd in 2021) has evolved into a reliable component who can play all five positions.

The recent free agent offensive line pickups (Armstead, Williams, Wynn) have played very well when healthy.

At one point in October, keeping this offensive line together in 2024 seemed difficult to envision, with all except Armstead seemingly headed to free agency. But Jackson subsequently was re-signed to a three-year, $26 million extension. It remains to be seen whether the injuries to Williams and Hunt affect their market value.

A veteran NFL general manager told me that he envisions Williams and Hunt still commanding big contracts, potentially “north of $10 million” a year, in free agency in March despite their injuries. He said both have shown enough to warrant significant money.

“Quality young linemen are hard to find,” the GM added.

Wynn might need to settle for a deal close to the minimum after missing the final 2 ½ months of the season.

One league official who spoke to the Dolphins front office emerged from a conversation believing Miami will seek a young tackle in the draft, one who could eventually be a successor to Armstead, perhaps in 2025 or ‘26.

The Dolphins must make it work with Armstead in 2024, because he already is guaranteed $5 million of his $13.5 million salary and because there would be a big cap hit if he’s cut. And when he’s healthy, there are few better.

With the Dolphins $40 million over the 2024 cap, keeping this line together will be difficult, but far from impossible. Keep in mind that the five starters (Armstead, Jackson, Williams, Wynn, Jackson) have combined to permit just five sacks in 1,552 combined pass rushing chances. That’s exceptional.

So after three decades of the offensive line being a blind spot — over several regimes — the Dolphins have finally seen the light. Credit Grier, his scouts, McDaniel, new offensive line coach Butch Barry and these players for turning an organizational weakness into a strength. And of course, credit Tagovailoa for his lightning quick release.