2023 Dolphins Training Camp Preview: Offensive Linemen
The Miami Dolphins approached the offseason like a team contending for the Super Bowl. They made a big splash by trading for cornerback Jalen Ramsay and bringing in highly touted defensive coordinator Vic Fangio.
The Dolphins are looking to build off last year’s success, which saw them finish 9-8 and make the playoffs for the first time since 2016. However, the team lost to the Buffalo Bills in the wild-card round, extending Miami’s playoff winless streak to 22 seasons.
To prepare fans for a highly anticipated season, we’ve decided to break down each positional group on the roster by giving an outlook for each player, awarding superlatives, and analyzing key questions.
DOLPHINS OFFENSIVE LINE OUTLOOKS
Terron Armstead
2022 Stats: 13 games, 1 sack allowed, 15 pressures allowed, 5 penalties
2023 Outlook: Armstead arguably is the Dolphins' most important player. There is a noticeable difference in the offense’s quality when he’s off the field.
He’s entrenched as the team’s starting left tackle after a strong 2022 season, and the only thing changing that would be an injury. The Dolphins should be prepared for Armstead to miss time at some point.
He’s never played more than 15 games and missed four last season. The key for Armstead will be staying healthy as long as possible in 2023.
Connor Williams
2022 Stats: 17 games, 3 sacks allowed, 15 pressures allowed, 6 penalties
2023 Outlook: Williams transitioned from guard to center last season and had probably the best season of his career. He provided the Dolphins with reliable all-around play in the middle of the offensive line.
Williams held out of OTAs looking for a new contract, and it’s hard to imagine the Dolphins not giving him one if he has a repeat performance in 2023.
Robert Hunt
2022 Stats: 17 games, 3 sacks allowed, 17 pressures allowed, 11 penalties
2023 Outlook: Hunt finishes out Miami’s core three offensive linemen, as he’s likely to anchor the right guard spot again this season.
He has the flexibility to play right tackle, but his film at guard is much better than it is at tackle. Hunt could benefit from taking fewer penalties this coming season and refining his pass-blocking technique.
Still, he’s one of the few young offensive linemen the Dolphins have hit on in the draft since General Manager Chris Grier took over.
Austin Jackson
2022 Stats: 2 games played, 6 pressures allowed
2023 Outlook: Jackson played in just two games last season after landing on injured reserve twice. The first was in September, and the second was in late November.
This season, Jackson is expected to compete for the team’s starting right tackle position. He’s struggled since entering the league as a first-round pick in 2020, but he’ll get another chance to prove he’s not a bust this season.
Liam Eichenberg
2022 Stats: 10 games, 2 sacks allowed, 27 pressures allowed, 5 penalties
2023 Outlook: Eichenberg is in relatively the same boat Jackson is this season. Eichenberg missed games with injuries in 2022, has struggled since being drafted in the second round and is expected to get another opportunity to start this season.
Unlike Jackson, Eichenberg is expected to compete for the Dolphins left guard spot. If he wants to win that job, he’ll have to improve his anchor. There are too many reps on his film where defenders are collapsing him straight into the backfield off the snap.
Isaiah Wynn
2022 Stats (Patriots): 9 games, 4 sacks allowed, 17 pressures allowed, 9 penalties
2023 Outlook: Wynn was a late free agent acquisition from the New England Patriots this offseason. He’s a former first-round pick who got off to a good start, but injuries and poor play have plagued him in recent years.
Wynn could play some guard and will probably compete with Jackson for the starting right tackle position. A healthy and locked-in Wynn easily would be the Dolphins’ best option at right tackle.
It would be foolish to bet on those things happening this season because he’s played more than 10 games just once (2021), and his last season of quality play was in 2020.
Cedric Ogbuehi
2022 Stats (Jets): 7 games, 1 sack allowed, 14 pressures allowed, 3 penalties
2023 Outlook: Ogbuehi was another late signing this offseason. He spent last season with the New York Jets, logging 286 snaps at right tackle in seven games.
He’ll provide some veteran competition for Wynn and Jackson in the battle for right tackle. Ogbuehi’s best role probably is as the team’s swing tackle, given his extensive experience playing on the left and right side.
Robert Jones
2022 Stats: 16 games, 3 sacks allowed, 11 pressures allowed, 2 penalties
2023 Outlook: Jones started seven games last season, seeing 431 of his 449 total reps at left guard. Jones, a former UDFA from Middle Tennessee State, likely will compete with Eichenberg for the left guard spot.
Jones’ run at left guard last season was filled with poor reps and rough play. He must show major improvement to earn a starting spot this summer. It’s more likely he’ll make the team as a versatile backup on the interior.
Dan Feeney
2022 Stats (Jets): 17 games, 1 sack allowed, 3 pressures allowed, 3 penalties
2023 Outlook: Feeney started two games at left guard for the New York Jets last season. He has experience playing all three spots on the interior, including more than 2,000 snaps at center.
He could compete with Jones and Eichenberg for the left guard spot and also provide depth for Williams. That versatility gives Feeney a compelling case to make the 53-man roster.
Geron Christian
2022 Stats (Chiefs): Played 12 snaps last season
2023 Outlook: Christian barely played for the Chiefs last season, and he’ll likely be a depth piece for the Dolphins if he makes the 53-man roster.
Ryan Hayes
2022 Stats (college): 12 games, 0 sacks allowed, 11 pressures allowed
2023 Outlook: The Dolphins selected Hayes 238th overall in the seventh round of the 2023 NFL draft. Hayes fits Miami’s athletic prototype at the position, but his film shows a player who needs a lot of development.
If he doesn’t make the 53-man roster, he’ll likely end up on the practice squad.
Kendall Lamm
2022 Stats: 32 snaps, 0 sacks allowed, 0 pressures allowed
2023 Outlook: Lamm is another player fighting for a backup tackle spot. He’s got experience in Miami’s scheme from last season but hasn’t started more than two games since 2018.
Kion Smith
2022 Stats: Did not play
2023 Outlook: Smith has a tough road ahead to make the Dolphins roster and practice squad. He didn’t crack the lineup last season, and there are many more experienced players ahead of him this season.
James Tunstall
College Stats: 24 starts at left tackle
2023 Outlook: Tunstall anchored the left side of the Cincinnati Bearcats offensive line. The Dolphins could use his left tackle experience, but it’s hard to imagine he makes the roster this season.
Alama Uluave
College Stats: 35 starts at center
2023 Outlook: Uluave is another UDFA from this year who is fighting to earn a roster or practice squad spot. He profiles as a center — a position with much less competition — but still, he’d have to impress coaches to make the team out of camp.
DOLPHINS OFFENSIVE LINE SUPERLATIVES
Best Pass Blocker: Terron Armstead
Best Run Blocker: Terron Armstead
Best Athlete: Terron Armstead
Most Powerful: Robert Hunt
Most Versatile: Connor Williams
MOST IMPORTANT QUESTION FOR DOLPHINS OL
Who starts at left guard and right tackle?
Three of the Dolphins’ offensive line spots are locked down: Armstead at left tackle, Williams at center and Hunt at right guard. However, the remaining two spots — left guard and right tackle — are more uncertain.
Both spots were an issue for the team last season. Eichenberg underperformed at left guard when he was on the field and missed time with an injury, leaving Jones in the lineup. Jones didn’t fare much better.
Instead of adding a big-name guard in free agency or drafting one, the Dolphins are expected to hold a competition with Eichenberg as the favorite. The former Notre Dame product allowed 27 pressures in 10 games.
In 2021, he allowed 62 total pressures while playing mostly left tackle. The move to guard was supposed to help Eichenberg, but neither his film nor his numbers improved last season.
Many of the same points can be made about Jackson and the right tackle competition. Jackson spent most of last season injured, but he’s struggled mightily since entering the league. In his defense, he did show some promise at left guard in 2021.
However, he’s the favorite to be Miami’s starting right tackle this season. The coaching staff has been highly complimentary of him this offseason and most of his competition are aging veterans.
Wynn and Ogbuehi should compete with Jackson at right tackle, but there’s no reason to get excited about them. Ogbuehi is a nice depth piece who can function well enough (sort of like Brandon Shell last season), but he’s not a long-term answer.
Wynn has good upside as a former first-round pick. Still, it’s been a while since he’s put together a strong season, and he’s struggled with injuries the past two seasons.
In totality, the Dolphins don’t have a good option at either spot. These two spots on the line arguably are the biggest weakness on Miami’s roster.
Whether they give Eichenberg and Jackson another chance or go with a veteran, they have to get league-average play from those spots to go from being a “good” team to a “great” team.
