Dolphins officially bid farewell to one of their most disappointing draft picks in recent history
A tough ending for a tough career in Miami.
It’s the end of an era for the Miami Dolphins. In some ways, anyway.
The Dolphins’ efforts to shuffle the deck on the roster ahead of the start of the league year next week are starting to produce some movement. And one of their personnel moves announced this afternoon may be a formality, but it is still a move that many fans had been ready for for quite some time. Miami announced two transactions on Monday: the tendering of CB Ethan Bonner as an Exclusive Rights Free Agent, and the formal release of former 2021 second-round draft choice Liam Eichenberg.
Liam Eichenberg’s Miami Dolphins tenure is officially over
Bonner will re-join the Dolphins on a one-year contract for minimum salary. But the big story here is Eichenberg, who missed all of 2025 on acc0unt of an offseason injury. Because he spent the entire 2025 season on the Physically Unable to Perform list, his one-year contract with Miami tolled and was scheduled to repeat in 2026.
The Dolphins, obviously, had different plans.
Eichenberg’s career in Miami is a cautionary tale for any NFL franchise and the allure of positional versatility. The former Notre Dame blocker was pin-balled all over the field during his tenure in Miami, logging starts at all five positions across four years. Eichenberg was drafted 42nd overall in the 2021 NFL Draft, with Miami trading up to make the pick. Despite the team’s aggression to move up and him, the Dolphins didn’t seem to have a plan.
Across over 3,600 career snaps, Eichenberg surpassed 650+ snaps at four of five positions along the line. As a result, he never seemed to settle into a single position — struggling with pass protection, run blocking assignments, and penalties at all spots.
To top it off, an unexpected injury soiled his final season in Miami. As the Dolphins turn the page on their football operation, they’re also turning the page on one of the most frustrating, disappointing picks of the last few years. And, to be fair to Eichenberg, the Dolphins proved to not do him any favors by not allowing him to develop at a single position when he arrived. Here’s hoping the next wave of new linemen don’t suffer the same fate.
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