'They just don't have enough there' — NFL exec criticizes Miami Dolphins for shortcomings in a key roster area
The Miami Dolphins came into the 2025 offseason with plenty of roster questions, but the biggest of them came on the offensive line. With more holes than starters entering the offseason – namely at both guard spots and with the very distinct possibility of Terron Armstead retiring – Miami had an overhaul on their hands […]
The Miami Dolphins came into the 2025 offseason with plenty of roster questions, but the biggest of them came on the offensive line.
With more holes than starters entering the offseason – namely at both guard spots and with the very distinct possibility of Terron Armstead retiring – Miami had an overhaul on their hands to fix a unit that struggled mightily in every respect in 2024.
Through three weeks of free agency, those concerns remain intact, with just one starting spot filled with the signing of former Pittsburgh Steeler James Daniels. Miami still doesn't have formal word on Armstead's status, and one starting guard spot still remains unmanned.
That's enough to sound the alarm for one NFL exec in an article by The Athletic evaluating each AFC team's free agency thus far. Said exec had the following to say regarding Miami's situation:
“They just don’t have enough there to warrant that they are going to have a better commitment to the run game and better protection for Tua,” another exec said. “Contrast them with Chicago, which made two trades for starting linemen before free agency. That has not been the Dolphins’ way up front.”
It's hard to deny that the Dolphins haven't been as aggressive as a team like the Bears in addressing their offensive line concerns. The Bears took a big swing when they traded for Chiefs OL Joe Thuney and Rams G Jonah Jackson. They added to that by signing free agent center Drew Dalman to a 3-year, $42 million deal last month. That's a very big infusion of talent that should help reshape one of the worst units in 2024.
Of course, the Dolphins didn't have nearly the same salary cap space to pull off any of those moves. As such, getting a player like Daniels, who's a risk coming off an Achilles tear but is a player with a high upside, on a relatively affordable deal (3 years, $24 million) was a pretty solid move by Chris Grier.
Unfortunately, that's mostly all they did to reshape the group, in addition to continuing to be unable to quit 2021 second round pick Liam Eichenberg, who they brought back on a one-year deal. That's not to say they're done, but thus far, does adding Daniels and subtracting Armstead make this line better? I'd say no, but Patrick Paul's ability to step in and contribute at a reasonable level will also factor into that equation. It's still too early to know what the Dolphins have there, but on paper, it's not particularly encouraging.
If Miami doesn't take a guard in the first three rounds, they've made a big mistake in my opinion. Adding someone like Tate Ratledge out of Georgia in the second round – if they pass on OL in the first round – could be a solid move to give you a potentially serviceable line if Daniels is ready to roll and Paul can contribute.
But for now, through the early part of free agency, the Dolphins' offensive line – which forged the way for the worst rushing attack in the league in 2024 – doesn't appear to be rebuilt enough for this team to take a step forward in 2025. We'll see if things change once the Dolphins' draft is done at the end of this month in Green Bay.
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