Veteran Guard Help on the Way?

The Miami Dolphins are pretty healthy overall as a team, especially for this time of year, but they have injury issues at guard.

That explains them kicking the tires of a trio of offensive linemen Tuesday, the most notable of whom was former Jacksonville, Carolina and Washington starter Andrew Norwell.

Also getting workouts were guards Colby Gossett and Wes Martin, along with safeties Bubba Bolden, Dane Cruikshank and A.J. Moore.

Norwell has started 110 games in his NFL career, including 16 for the Commanders last season before they released him before the start of training camp this summer.

Gossett started four games for the Atlanta Falcons last season and has 36 games of NFL experience with the Arizona Cardinals and Atlanta.

Martin also was with Washington in 2022. He has 38 games of NFL experience with 11 starts, including five as a rookie sixth-round pick in 2019 and five the following season.

Cruikshank and Moore both have more than 50 games of NFL experience, while Bolden has yet to play an NFL regular season game since joining the Seattle Seahawks as a rookie free agent in 2022.

THE DOLPHINS' GUARD SITUATION

The Dolphins have an issue at guard because of the injuries to Robert Hunt and Robert Jones, who head coach Mike McDaniel said Monday were week-to-week.

Hunt is dealing with a hamstring injury and missed the Week 9 game against the Kansas City Chiefs in Germany; Jones sustained a knee injury in that game.

Jones started at left guard against the Chiefs with Lester Cotton replacing Hunt at right guard, and 2021 second-round pick Liam Eichenberg stepped in for Jones after he was injured. Eichenberg has played center in place of the injured Connor Williams in three of the previous four games.

If Jones and Hunt have to miss the game against the Las Vegas Raiders game Sunday, the Dolphins could go back to that lineup with Eichenberg at left guard and Cotton at right guard, but McDaniel also has been asked about the possibility of Kendall Lamm getting work at work.

Lamm doesn't have guard experience in the NFL, but he did a more than commendable job at left tackle during Terron Armstead's absence.

"What he brings to the team is versatility," McDaniel said. "Not every tackle can play both left and right. He does an exceptional job doing both for us. He does have that versatility to go inside, which will be exercised – that versatility – more and more as the season progresses now because of the different types of things that you have to be prepared to do on game day with the different lineups.

"I wouldn’t expect to see him sooner than later at the guard spot. However, he will be training there and who knows – my crystal ball definitely doesn’t – on how soon we would see him inside or outside or wherever. The good news is he’s up for the challenge. He has really taken to the scheme since we got him mid-last year, and then just really developed with (Offensive Line Coach) Butch (Barry). So I feel very confident with him playing in any spot and we’ll utilize his versatility to the extreme."

If the Dolphins make any addition along the offensive line, it's likely a practice squad transaction first to be followed by an elevation for a game. The Dolphins do have a guard on the practice squad already with Chasen Hines, but he doesn't have any NFL regular season experience.

DOLPHINS SAFETY SITUATION

The workouts at safety probably represented more of a fact-finding mission for the future because the Dolphins have four solid players at the position on the active roster with Jevon Holland, DeShon Elliott, Elijah Campbell and Brandon Jones, with Verone McKinley III ready to help out as a member of the practice squad.

Jones didn't travel to Germany in Week 9 because of a concussion, but he was at practice Monday without wearing a red (no-contact) jersey, an indication he's out of the protocol and ready to return.

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