Miami Dolphins Re-Signing Offensive Lineman Liam Eichenberg Analysis
The Miami Dolphins have signed, re-signed or agreed to terms with 15 free agents as of Friday morning, but probably no transaction elicited as much of a reaction as news of the team bringing back Liam Eichenberg.
As a former second-round pick and starter on an offensive line that’s been on the receiving end of a lot of criticism, Eichenberg has been an easy target for fans tired of watching Dolphins running backs getting stuffed in short-yardage situation or quarterbacks getting pressured up the middle.
Many fans were quick to criticize the re-signing of Eichenberg on social media, pointing to GM Chris Grier’s after-the-season comments about the need to address the offensive line.
So why, the reasoning goes, would the team bring back one of those players responsible for the substandard play on the offensive line, specifically the interior of the offensive line?
Another question that really should be asked if why Eichenberg would want to come back.
Let’s examine both aspects.
The Dolphins paid a price to land Eichenberg in the second round of the 2021 draft, surrendering a future third-round pick to the New York Giants to move up from 50th to 42nd overall for the change to select Eichenberg out of Notre Dame.
Despite the fact he started 52 games the past four seasons, it’s fair to suggest Eichenberg has yet to validate the draft capital investment the Dolphins made in him. Without question, Grier would love Eichenberg to have a breakout 2025 season to help in that regard.
But personnel moves aren’t made strictly to make a previous decision look better, no matter what fans might think.
Dolphins coaches repeatedly have said the past couple of seasons that they liked their offensive linemen because of how hard they worked and they wanted to reap the rewards of the expected improvement.
More importantly, Eichenberg has position versatility that’s borderline unparalleled, having already lined up at every position on the offensive line.
In a best-case scenario, the Dolphins find an upgrade to start at guard along with free agent addition James Daniels and Eichenberg can serve as the top backup at all three interior positions on the offensive line.
There were two reasons to think Eichenberg would want to play elsewhere in 2025 if the opportunity presented itself, both stemming from how he was used last season.
And that’s not even counting the potential desire to get aware from a fan base that clearly didn’t have his back.
The first reason previously was referenced, and that was the Dolphins moving him all over the offensive line. It may have increased his value to the team in a big-picture type of way, but it also maybe stunted his growth at any one spot.
The most egregious example came last summer when Eichenberg was projected as the starting right guard, but then was switched to center during training camp while newcomer Aaron Brewer was sidelined with a finger injury.
Once Brewer returned, Eichenberg was back as the starting right guard, and that’s how the Dolphins opened the season.
The argument could be made it might have helped Eichenberg to just leave at guard while Brewer was sidelined and have somebody else on the roster take the first-team snaps at center.
And then one would think Eichenberg wasn’t too pleased when he went from starter at right guard to platooning after Isaiah Wynn finally returned from his 2023 quad injury, with the two of them rotating series in the final three games.
So why would Eichenberg want more of this?
Well, the first thought is that there simply wasn’t much of a market for Eichenberg’s services and the Dolphins valued him more than other teams because of versatility and familiarity.
And maybe familiarity also was a factor for Eichenberg, who signed a one-year deal and potentially can raise his value in 2025.
In any event, the Dolphins and Eichenberg are back together again, whether Miami fans like it or not.
It’s still very early in the roster-building process and therefore we don’t know exactly what Eichenberg’s role is going to wind up being.
If he’s an opening-day starter again in 2025, you can expect fans to voice their displeasure.
If he winds up being a top backup, then the Dolphins will have lived up to the idea of improving the interior of the offensive line and secured an experienced security blanket.
And if that ends up how it plays out, then there’s no reason for this transaction to be controversial or polarizing.
