Miami Dolphins fans have called for improvements on the Dolphins’ offensive line for the past two seasons. Miami had the worst offensive line in 2021 and was one of the worst-graded offensive lines in 2022. But many fans have become frustrated with the lack of improvements the Dolphins have made on the offensive line during free agency. However, head coach Mike McDaniel may not prioritize the offensive line because he might believe he can get greatness out of current players.
Miami Dolphins fans will forever remember McDaniel’s “greatness” video phone call with Tua Tagovailoa. After being hired as head coach for the Dolphins, McDaniel made the infamous call on a plane to Miami. McDaniel told Tagovailoa, “My job is to coach you to get all that greatness out of you.” This was one of Tagovailoa’s first impressions of McDaniel as his new coach. It’s obvious that McDaniel did his research to find out that the previous coaching staff didn’t appear to be very supportive of Tagovailoa.
When asked about Tagovailoa at the NFL Combine last year, McDaniel said, “You can tell it’s empowering to the player that there are people that believe in him.” He went on to say, “We’ve all been in communication to build that relationship and trust.” The results of McDaniel seeing potential and giving support to Tagovailoa were amazing. Tua ended the season leading the NFL in several passing categories.
Now, many of the fans aren’t believing in offensive linemen Austin Jackson or Liam Eichenberg. But McDaniel’s philosophy is still to believe in and support them. By seeing their potential, he believes they will have their best year in 2023. What McDaniel said about Liam Eichenberg and Austin Jackson at the NFL owners’ meeting has already been reported. “I see those guys as having a ton of potential, and it needs to be developed,” McDaniel said. McDaniel believes that offensive linemen will begin to develop into better players in year two of the system.
McDaniel talked about how the Detroit Lions gave up on Laken Tomlinson, who eventually became a Pro Bowler under McDaniel’s offensive coaching. McDaniel believes in his coaching. He believes in giving players chances with full support when seeing potential. He did that with Tua and led the NFL with a passer rating of 105.5. Both Eichenberg and Jackson were great offensive linemen in college. Perhaps the Dolphins didn’t target offensive linemen in free agency for one reason. McDaniel’s job will be to coach Jackson and Eichenberg to get all that greatness out of them.
