Are Concerns Over Miami’s O-Line Fake News?
Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports
For all of the explosiveness contained by (and money tied up in) the Miami Dolphins’ skill players, critics will cast their gaze instead to the offensive line and ask, “Don’t you need a good one of those, too?” Miami’s line isn’t just revamped, it’s injured with Aaron Brewer out, and it’s largely playing out of position. As one media member put it to Chris Grier on Wednesday, “Your guards are converted tackles… [and] your centers are converted guards.”
Nope. We’d say Grier says it’s fine, but we can’t say it in stronger terms than he can, so here you go: “It’s always interesting because Mike [McDaniel] and I were talking about… how every year, you guys are like ‘not good enough, not good enough.’ But then, offensively we’re pretty good.”
So he’s not worried? “We’re confident in the offensive line,” Grier insisted. “It’s just one of those [things] that Mike and I always kind of chuckle about.”
Oh, dang. And the comedy hour didn’t stop there. On Monday, Tua Tagovailoa was asked whether he’s worried about the interior O-line. “Brother, I get the ball out so fast, so I am confident with anybody we’ve got up there.” Wocka Wocka.
So on one side, we’ve got the media raising the alarm bells, and the team presenting a united front that their offensive line isn’t a big deal. Are we talking about a legitimate concern or fake news?
If you’re Grier, McDaniel, and Tua, you kind of have a point here. Remember, the Dolphins were ranked by Pro Football Focus as the 20th-best offensive line in the NFL heading into last year — and that was two spots above where they were in 2022! All the offense did last year was finish second in the NFL in yards per play, behind the San Francisco 49ers. And as much as Tyreek Hill is the NFL’s No. 1 player on the Top 100, the Phins led the league with 5.1 yards per rushing attempt.
Health, especially that of Brewer and guard Isiah Wynn, is going to affect the rankings, but PFF liked the Miami O-Line a touch more this season, bumping them up to 18th.
Usually, the line sets the tone for the rest of the offense, but maybe this is a rare time when the skill players can actually support the meat-and-potatoes guys. How bad is a backfield of Raheem Mostert, De’Von Achane, Jaylen Wright, and Jeff Wilson going to be with a Mike Shanahan coaching tree grandchild like McDaniel scheming for them?
And look, you can be the biggest Tua Hater out there, you can’t say that he’s lying about getting the ball out quickly. If he has a superpower, that might be it, as PFF has him at first in the NFL at throwing in under 2.5 seconds. We know Hill and Jaylen Waddle don’t need much time to get open. Now with Jonnu Smith, Malik Washington, and (soon) Odell Beckham Jr. in the fold, there are even more players to space the field than ever before.
Or maybe that is the perfect formula to once again work in the regular season and fall apart when things get hard. We know how little Miami runs the ball when they need a crucial yard. When you need to push defenders back and have your running back fall forward three feet, you need… yup, your interior offensive line.
Then in the playoffs, where Miami is likely to encounter elite defenses like the Baltimore Ravens, Cleveland Browns, Houston Texans, Pittsburgh Steelers, and the like, yards are also going to be tough to come by. Even the Kansas City Chiefs, whose No. 2 ranking in yards allowed last season hid a mediocre run defense, were able to hold Miami’s backfield to just 76 yards on 18 carries.
Miami’s offense puts up spectacular numbers, but the gravy train runs out. That’s a constant. So are the concerns the media has about the offensive line.
Grier, McDaniel, and the Dolphins are taking this information and addressing it by doubling down on their strengths. Draft another running back to add to the absurd backfield. Give Tua more players to throw the ball to. Is that going to get finally them over the hump in the playoffs? That’s the goal, says Grier.
“I don’t think we shy away from [breaking Miami’s 24-year playoff win drought],” he told the press.
Either his team does, and he and the coach can share another chuckle over these media worrywarts, or they fall short again and the critics are the ones having the last laugh.
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