Miami Dolphins General Manager Chris Grier does not believe the team's offensive line play decreased after starting center Connor Williams was lost for the rest of the season due to a torn ACL. 

The Dolphins lost Williams in the first quarter of their week 14 loss to the Tennessee Titans. Williams graded out well for Pro Football Focus, with 86.5 overall offense, 90.5 run blocking, and 71.7 pass blocking. Needless to say, Williams was having a strong season for the Dolphins when he suffered his injury.

As a result, the versatile Liam Eichenberg was thrust into the starting role. His PFF run-blocking grade (49.1) was substantially lower, worse than Williams' grade.

When approached by a reporter regarding the loss of Williams and its negative impact on the offensive line, Grier offered up the quote below:

I wouldn't say that consistently. We ran the ball against Baltimore and Buffalo. Liam came in and battled through his bumps and bruises. He did a great job for us. Connor was playing good football for us but injuries happen. Leadership stuff he provided and he's been great communicating with Mike and us throughout the end of the season. Again, we will stay in touch with him and see what happens. 

What do the numbers say?

Take a look at the rushing numbers for the Dolphins post-Williams injury. 

• Against the Titans, Miami rushed for 83 yards on 29 attempts averaging 2.9 yards per carry. 
• Against the New York Jets, Miami rushed for 77 yards on 28 attempts averaging 2.8 yards per carry
• Against the Dallas Cowboys, Miami rushed for 91 yards on 26 attempts averaging 3.5 yards per carry. 
• Against the Baltimore Ravens, Miami rushed for 154 yards on 25 attempts averaging 6.2 yards per carry. In a 56-19 blowout loss.
• Against the Buffalo Bills, Miami rushed for 108 yards on 20 attempts averaging 5.4 yards per carry.

I think we all understand the need to uplift the player who slides into a tough position due to the injury of a key starter. That said, reviewing the numbers post-Williams injury does not fit the narrative Grier was painting.

Williams was more pivotal to the Dolphins' running success than Grier admitted. The comments just came off a little disingenuous and downplaying the severity of the drop-off. It's understandable, but points to an area that Miami might consider upgrading moving forward.

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