Miami Dolphins Position Outlook: Offensive Line
After making the playoffs for a second straight season under coach Mike McDaniel, the Miami Dolphins are still looking for their first playoff win since 2000. The quest for that victory starts with training camp.
The Dolphins had a surprisingly eventful offseason for a team that started with so little cap space. The team lost homegrown talents like Christian Wilkins and Robert Hunt but added exciting veterans like Odell Beckham Jr., Kendall Fuller, Calais Campbell and Jordyn Brooks.
This series will break down each position on the Dolphins’ roster, providing fans with an in-depth look at each player’s outlook for the coming 2024 season.
This article will cover the offensive line.
Terron Armstead
2023 Stats: 10 games, 1 sack allowed, 6 pressures allowed, 3 penalties
2024 Outlook: It’s the same old story for Armstead heading into the 2024 season. He’s arguably the Dolphins’ most important player on the line and locked into the starting left tackle role.
However, questions remain about his health. Armstead played in just 10 games last season and he has never eclipsed more than 15 starts. He’s played in 23 of 34 possible regular season games in two seasons with the Dolphins.
That’s a lot of missed time for Miami’s best — by far — offensive lineman. Getting somewhere between 12 and 15 games out of Armstead this coming season would be a win.
Austin Jackson
2023 Stats: 16 games played, 4 sacks allowed, 21 pressures allowed, 8 penalties
2024 Outlook: Jackson is coming off the best season of his career. He started 16 games at right tackle, and he should have that spot locked down for this season.
Jackson is very effective in the running game and was an average pass protector. That’s a win for a player who struggled mightily on the field and with injuries in previous seasons. If Jackson can take another jump in play, it would go a long way to assuaging some of the concerns about Miami’s offensive line.
Liam Eichenberg
2023 Stats: 16 games, 4 sacks allowed, 20 pressures allowed, 7 penalties
2024 Outlook: Eichenberg marginally improved last season, as he spent most of his time at center (592 of his 815 snaps).
Eichenberg is expected to compete for one of Miami’s starting guard spots this season. He’s played left and right guard in his career, so it won’t be a completely new transition.
The former second-round pick from Notre Dame hasn’t lived up to his draft status, but his versatility on the interior should allow him to stick on the final roster, even if he’s not starting on opening day.
Isaiah Wynn
2023 Stats: 7 games, 0 sacks allowed, 4 pressures allowed, 3 penalties
2024 Outlook: Wynn was the team’s starting left guard for the first seven games of the 2023 season. However, his season ended early with a quad injury sustained against the Philadelphia Eagles.
Wynn proved to be a capable pass blocker and powerful run blocker last season. Bringing him back makes a lot of sense, but he’s struggled with injuries pretty much every season of his career.
Assuming he’s healthy, Wynn should have an inside track to be one of the team’s starting guards — probably on the left side.
Aaron Brewer
2023 Stats (Titans): 17 games, 6 sacks allowed, 34 pressures allowed, 5 penalties
2024 Outlook: The Dolphins signed Brewer away from the Titans to replace Connor Williams as the starting center. Brewer is an excellent scheme fit because of his mobility and run-blocking skill set.
That said, Brewer struggled in pass protection last season. Much of that could be due to the Titans’ overall struggles on offense. The Dolphins hope their scheme will unlock Brewer’s best traits and minimize his weakest ones.
Robert Jones
2023 Stats: 8 games, 2 sacks allowed, 12 pressures allowed, 3 penalties
2024 Outlook: Jones saw action at both guard spots last season as the Dolphins dealt with a lot of injuries up front. Even Jones started the season on injured reserve before being activated in October.
He figures to be among several players competing for a starting guard spot. He’ll have to jump over players like Eichenberg and Wynn to get there. Still, Jones has stuck around this long as a UDFA and has actual experience in this offense.
He’s a solid depth piece worth keeping around, even if he’s not playing consistently.
Lester Cotton
2023 Stats: 17 games, 3 sacks allowed, 5 penalties, 20 pressures
2024 Outlook: Cotton replaced Wynn for most of his snaps last season, and he’s another contender for one of Miami’s starting guard spots.
However, Cotton will have to improve a lot to earn that designation. He struggled in pass protection a great deal, and it wasn’t something he was known for coming out of college.
Jack Driscoll
2023 Stats (Eagles): 172 snaps, 1 sack allowed, 0 penalties, 10 pressures
2024 Outlook: Driscoll was a versatile backup with the Eagles the past few seasons. He played most of his limited snaps at right tackle in 2023 but has experience playing right guard, too.
Driscoll could be a swing tackle for Miami this season or compete for one of the team’s starting guard positions. Either way, his versatility will make it hard to leave him off the final roster.
Kendall Lamm
2023 Stats: 17 games, 4 sacks allowed, 20 pressures allowed, 0 penalties
2024 Outlook: Lamm was a minor bright spot for the Dolphins last year. He did a solid job filling in for Armstead at left tackle, and that’ll likely be his role again in 2024.
Given Armstead and Jackson’s injury history, Lamm likely will see the field this coming season. He’s a solid backup swing tackle, so there’s no reason to expect anything more (or less) from him.
Kion Smith
2023 Stats: 70 snaps, 0 pressures, 0 sacks, 1 penalty
2023 Outlook: Smith didn’t play much last season, which shouldn’t change much. He’s another backup tackle with experience playing on both sides of the line.
If Smith makes the team, expect him to be behind Lamm and possibly rookie Patrick Paul.
Patrick Paul
2023 College Stats (Houston): 12 games, 9 pressures, 0 sacks, 3 penalties
2024 Outlook: The Dolphins selected Paul in the second round of the 2024 NFL draft, hoping he’ll develop into the team’s franchise left tackle.
He shouldn’t be expected to see the field much this coming season, which is good because, whether analysts like him or not, most agree that he needs significant development.
Ryan Hayes
2023 Stats: Did Not Play
2024 Outlook: Hayes spent most of last season on the practice squad after the Dolphins selected him in the seventh round of the 2023 NFL draft. Barring a surprise, that’s his most likely land spot in 2024.
Chasen Hines
2023 Stats: Did Not Play
2024 Outlook: Hines, a former 2022 sixth-round pick by the Patriots, didn’t play last season. Given how many interior players the team has competing for so few spots, he’s a long shot to make the Dolphins roster.
Ireland Brown
2023 College Stats (Rutgers): 62 snaps, 1 pressure allowed, 0 sacks allowed, 1 penalty
2024 Outlook: Brown is a UDFA from Rutgers with experience at guard and center. His best shot to stick around with the Dolphins is on the practice squad.
Matthew Jones
2023 College Stats (Ohio State): 12 games, 5 pressures allowed, 0 sacks allowed, 2 penalties
2024 Outlook: Jones was the Buckeyes’ starting right guard last season and signed with the Dolphins as a UDFA. Jones is another practice squad candidate with a tough road to make the 53-man roster.
Andrew Meyer
2023 College Stats (Texas El-Paso): 12 games, 1 pressures allowed, 0 sacks allowed, 6 penalties
2024 Outlook: Meyer is another rookie UDFA. He started all 12 games at center for UTEP in 2023, which could separate him from his UDFA peers.
Meyer might have a path to making the roster if the Dolphins are looking for a pure backup center. If not, he’ll have to fight for a spot on the practice squad.
Bayron Matos
2023 College Stats (South Florida): Did Not Play
2024 Outlook: Matos is one of the more interesting players on the Dolphins’ roster. He’s a part of the NFL’s International Pathway program, so he doesn’t count against the 90-man roster now and he won’t count against the team’s practice squad limit.
He didn’t play much at South Florida and spent most of his college career playing basketball. However, he’s got the measurables to be a solid tackle in the NFL.
It’ll take a lot of work, but since Miami can keep him around without using up a real practice squad spot, he’ll probably get ample time to develop.
Best Pass Blocker: Terron Armstead
Best Run Blocker: Terron Armstead
Best Athlete: Terron Armstead
Most Powerful: Austin Jackson
Who is starting at guard?
The Dolphins’ offensive line has been a problem for a few years, and 2024 doesn’t seem to be any different. The team lost Robert Hunt in free agency, and he was a stalwart right guard and home-grown talent.
Hunt got a massive deal from the Carolina Panthers, so it made sense Miami let him walk. However, the team hasn’t done much to replace him. Aaron Brewer was signed to replace Connor Williams at center; Brewer has some upside, but he’s a downgrade from Williams.
With Brewer at center and no considerable money spent at guard, the Dolphins are holding an open competition for both guard spots.
Eichenberg, Wynn, Cotton, Jones and Driscoll are probably the top contenders. That’s a lot of bodies, but none of these options has played consistent, above-average football at any point in their career.
Wynn is probably the best of the bunch. He started the first seven games of the 2023 season and was serviceable, but his injury history is a legitimate concern. Eichenberg played his best football at center last season, but there’s little reason to believe he’ll suddenly become a quality guard this year.
Cotton, Jones and Driscoll are valuable backups for any team. They have some desirable physical traits and experience playing multiple spots on the line. That said, none of them would start on most NFL teams looking to compete for a Super Bowl, like the Dolphins.
Through their actions and words, the Dolphins’ brass has told us they don’t value the interior of the offensive line that highly.
That makes some sense, but entering training camp with this group competing for two — not just one — starting spots seems to take that philosophy too far.
In the team’s defense, offensive line coach Butch Barry clearly has made some progress with some of the players, and the Dolphins’ scheme will protect the offensive line from pass blocking too long.
However, not maximizing the offensive line’s ability will also hold them back, as we saw down the stretch of last season and in the playoffs.
Regardless of who wins this battle, it might be the most important one Miami has this offseason.
