As we get closer and closer to training camp and the start of the 2024 NFL season, you look at Miami’s roster and the position groups and see what areas are strengths and weaknesses.
I wouldn’t say Miami has too many position groups that are weaknesses, but there are a couple, and one that stands out as a sore thumb is the offensive line.
That isn’t to say the offensive line will be “bad” in 2024, just that heading into the season, it is a big question mark, which I think any objective observer of the team would willingly admit.
While Miami had the #1 offense in the NFL last year, with many of the same players on the offensive line back in 2024, this offensive line struggled in crucial spots, was 31st ranked in pass block win rate, and had numerous lineups due to many injuries.
This offense performed despite the offensive line, not because of it.
This past offseason, the Dolphins front office, including general manager Chris Grier and head coach Mike McDaniel, among others, had a choice: Revamp the unit and upgrade some key spots, or stick with the status quo mostly and run it back with the same group.
They made a choice to bring back Isiah Wynn, not replace Robert Hunt, and stick with the tandem of Terron Armstead and Kendall Lamm at left tackle.
And because they made those choices, IF (again IF) the offensive line fails in 2024 and holds this team back, it cannot be used as an “excuse”.
The Dolphins didn’t want to pay Robert Hunt $100 million, I get that. But they could have spent some money to find a suitable replacement.
The Dolphins wanted to move on from Connor Williams, and Aaron Brewer is a “nice” player, but they could have spent a little more to get a better center than Brewer.
The Dolphins didn’t have to stick with Armstead/Lamm at left tackle and could have come up with a better solution for left tackle. They decided not to though.
That is the point: when you make a choice, you can’t then point to it as an excuse if things don’t work out.
Armstead and Wynn have a long injury history; if/when they go down again this year, you can’t act surprised and say, “Didn’t see that coming.”
An excuse is when guys like Bradley Chubb and Jaelan Phillips go down to injury, nobody saw it coming, and there is no real injury history with either player. That’s just bad luck, and yeah, it can be an excuse IF the team loses because they aren’t on the field.
With this offensive line, Grier, McDaniel, and the others making the decisions know the history of the players, and they decided this group is “good enough” to win with. So, if it is the reason it isn’t, that isn’t an excuse.
