Kelly: Dolphins Patched Up O-line Needs to Hold Season Together
At this point in an NFL season the list of players with injuries and ailments on each roster is usually longer than the healthy ones.
That’s why it’s not surprising that every member of the Miami Dolphins’ projected starting offensive line is battling an injury heading into Friday’s game against the New York Jets.
Left tackle Terron Armstead, who will play in his fifth game of the season after battling his way back from a knee and foot injury, showed up for practice 20 minutes into Thursday’s session. Whether his tardiness was injury related is unknown, but Armstead has vowed to finish his 11th NFL season on the field.
Lester Cotton, who has replaced Isaiah Wynn (on injured reserve with a quadricep injury) as the starting left guard, injured his hip in Miami’s 20-13 win over the Las Vegas Raiders, and right tackle Austin Jackson, the Dolphins’ starting right tackle, is rehabbing an oblique injury that recently flared up.
Starting center Connor Williams continues to nurse a groin strain. He’s played the past two games and continued to practice without limitations, which is a good sign.
Robert Hunt, who strained his left hamstring in Miami’s win over the New England Patriots last month, has missed the past two games, but participated in his first practice of the month on Thursday.
Robert Jones, who injured his knee in Miami’s loss to Kansas City on Nov. 5, also returned to practice on Thursday, and is seemingly on the road back.
Hunt being brought back slowly
“I’m very optimistic that Austin and Lester will play. I feel pretty confident in that,” McDaniel said. “Rob (Hunt), I’m optimistic that he will be dressed.”
McDaniel has been cautious with Hunt’s return because of the fear Hunt, a four-year starter, could re-aggravate the strain, and suffer a setback that would impact his performance when Miami’s playing critical December games that dictate the team's playoff seeding.
The Dolphins allowed Williams to dress a week before they allowed him to return to the starting lineup, and that could be what's on the docket for Hunt.
If Hunt doesn’t play it’s likely that Liam Eichenberg would start his sixth game of the season, and second at right guard. Jones, who was Hunt’s initial replacement before the knee injury, is also an option.
“When it comes to the roster, there’s just certain things that are going to be what they are and day-to-day we address it and we’ll work through it,” Dolphins offensive coordinator Frank Smith said. “So when it comes to the offensive line, each day we’re working with the guys that are going to be available and we’re doing the best we can schematically to make sure we put guys in their best position.”
Jets have O-line issues too
Don’t expect the Jets, or numerous other NFL teams, to feel sorry for the Dolphins when it comes to offensive line woes.
Unless Mekhi Becton decides to play on the knee/ankle injury he suffered last week, left guard Laken Tomlinson will be the only Jets offensive lineman who has started every game. The rest of the Jets offensive linemen will be backups on Friday unless Duane Brown, who has been sidelined by a hip injury, comes back from injured reserve, and returns to the starting lineup.
This will be the Jets’ eight different offensive line groupings in 11 games, and that unit's struggles is one of the reasons the Jets possess one of the NFL's worst offenses.
When Hunt is cleared to return, the Dolphins will also be on its eighth different offensive line lineup if the rest of the unit is status quo, and plays.
Yet, somehow the Dolphins have possessed the NFL's best offense, which is a testament to the way Miami's played in the trenches this season.
For once, this franchise's offensive line, despite all the injuries, has been a strength of the team, and not a weakness.
"You get to mixing guys in, but that’s the game, and that’s the importance of depth and having everybody ready," Armstead said. "We had one game with the starting O-line, and I think that was Denver, maybe Buffalo too, the beginning of Buffalo. So we didn’t get much with the original starting O-line, but we’ve got guys that are more than ready, more than capable, and have been playing well. That’s part of this game [of football] though.
"Every position you’ve got to have depth," Armstead continued. "I think the deepest team goes the furthest, not necessarily the most talented all the time.”