Why the O-Line (Maybe) Is Being Vastly Overlooked and Underrated

Stop us if you've heard this one before, but the Miami Dolphins offensive line is being ranked by most national analysts as one of the most suspect in the entire NFL.

This, of course, has been an ongoing situation for the Dolphins, long before former GM Chris Grier came up with his now-infamous line to reporters covering the team, "You're a lot more worried about the offensive line than we are."

The latest diss of the group comes courtesy of NFL analytics guru Warren Sharp, who had Miami at number 29, exactly three spots from the bottom.

On the surface, that just seems like a ridiculously low ranking, one impacted too much by the failures of years past.

That 29th spot is exactly where the Dolphins ended up in Pro Football Focus' final rankings for the 2025 season, so it's basically a mere continuation just from a different source.

WHY AREN'T THE DOLPHINS RANKED HIGHER?

But shouldn't the offensive line be better in 2026 considering the team added first-round pick Kadyn Proctor and veteran Jamaree Salyer while only losing marginal starter Cole Strange, journeyman backup Larry Borom and guard James Daniels, who gave the Dolphins all of three snaps after signing the biggest free agent contract Miami gave out last offseason?

And that's just talking personnel alone, not even mentioning the fact that having a quarterback with some mobility with the move from Tua Tagovailoa to Malik Willis should make things easier up front with an important element that was missing — the threat of the QB running, whether it be scripted or unscripted.

But back to the personnel issue.

With a projected starting five of, from left to right, Patrick Paul, Proctor, Aaron Brewer, Jonah Savaiinaea and Austin Jackson, the Dolphins offensive line will have more pedigree than any of its starting five since 2016.

You remember 2016, right?

That was the year the Dolphins had a formidable offensive line — yes, formidable — that consisted of four first-round picks (Branden Albert, Laremy Tunsil, Mike Pouncey and Ja'Wuan James) along with an established veteran with two Pro Bowls on his resume, Jermon Bushrod.

Well, the projected 2026 Dolphins starting offensive line has four players selected in the first two rounds, which hasn't happened since that 2016 season. And the one who's not a former first-round pick was a second-team All-Pro selection last season, that of course being Brewer.

Of course, just because the line includes a lot of high draft picks doesn't mean it'll play up to that standard, particularly if Savaiinaea can't rebound after his rookie struggles, but usually the higher draft picks tend to perform better.

DID THE DOLPHINS FINALLY GET IT RIGHT?

That the Dolphins have had a hard time putting together a solid offensive line hasn't been for lack of trying, but rather the result of some bad luck and some bad drafting.

And it's not like the offensive line has been quite the disaster a lot of fans and some media members would like to portray, it's also been a while since the Dolphins had a unit that everyone would agree belonged in the top half of the league.

Even before new GM Jon-Eric Sullivan added Salyer and then Proctor this offseason, the Dolphins typically made one or more big moves along the offensive line every year starting, say, in 2020.

Jackson and Robert Hunt were drafted in the first and second rounds in that draft. Liam Eichenberg was taken in Round 2 the following year — after the Dolphins traded up in that round to get him. In 2022, the Dolphins brought in multi-Pro Bowl tackle Terron Armstead as a free agent. In 2023, the Dolphins signed former New England first-round pick Isaiah Wynn. Brewer came on board as a free agent in 2024 before the Dolphins draft Paul in the second round. And then Savaiinaea and Daniels were added last year.

So, yeah, this notion that the Dolphins "neglected" the offensive line always was ridiculous from this vantage point. Sure, a lot of the moves didn't pan out. But it's not like they stood pat and did nothing.

And the Dolphins did the same thing again this year with the additions of Proctor and Salyer. While the latter is insurance at a few positions along the line, Proctor clearly was the big move.

It also was a huge move for Sullivan, as his first draft selection as Dolphins GM.

And for all the shots he's taken since his departure — heck, those started while he was still here — Grier did absolutely nail his first pick as Dolphins GM. That was Tunsil in 2016.

The Dolphins can only hope this is deja vu all over again.

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