Dolphins add a veteran offensive tackle. And a key revelation about their o-line
The Dolphins’ offensive line situation gained further clarity on Monday, when Miami added an experienced tackle and details were learned on their plans for another veteran addition.
Miami signed veteran swing tackle Charlie Heck, who has appeared in 67 games with 29 starts during a six-year career.
Heck, who is 6-8 and 311 pounds, appeared in 17 games, with six starts, for Tampa Bay last season. Pro Football Focus rated him the NFL’s 86th-best tackle last season; he permitted three sacks and 32 pressures in 473 snaps.
Heck is now positioned to back up Patrick Paul at left tackle and Austin Jackson at right tackle.
Meanwhile, a source with direct knowledge said that guard/tackle Jamaree Salyer, the Dolphins’ other veteran offensive line addition, has been told that he will be given a chance to win a starting guard job. That’s one big reason why he opted to sign with the Dolphins instead of taking more money with another team.
Salyer started 40 games for the Chargers over the past four seasons -- 19 at left tackle and 21 at right guard.
The Chargers selected Salyer in the sixth round, 195th overall, out of Georgia in 2022 and he became a 14-game starter at left tackle as a rookie after Rashawn Slater sustained a season-ending injury in Week 3. Salyer, 25, started 17 games for the Chargers in 2023, but made just four and five starts the past two seasons.
Last season, he played 250 snaps at left tackle, 157 at right guard and 42 at right tackle. Pro Football Focus graded him 61st of 89 tackles last season but said he was the Chargers’ second-best pass blocking lineman in 2025, behind Joe Alt.
Most of his NFL work has come at left tackle (1295 snaps) and right guard, where he has logged 1561 snaps. He has played only 24 snaps at left guard in the NFL but also played some there at Georgia.
If Salyer wins a starting guard job, then Miami’s other starting guard likely would be either a draft pick or second-year player Jonah Savaiinaea or perhaps guard/center Andrew Meyer or another free agent pickup.
If Salyer doesn’t win a starting guard job, he would compete with Heck to be the Dolphins’ No. 3 tackle while also backing up at guard.
Heck, 29, started 26 games at right tackle, two at left tackle and one as an extra offensive lineman in six seasons with Houston (2020-23), Arizona (2024), San Francisco (2024) and Tampa Bay (2025). He also appeared in two postseason games with the Texans. His most starts in a season were 13 for Houston in 2021.
Heck entered the NFL as a fourth-round selection (126th overall) by Houston in the 2020 NFL Draft. He played collegiately at North Carolina (2016-19), where he appeared in 43 games with 34 starts – 20 at right tackle and 14 at left tackle.
The Dolphins have three starters solidified on their line with Paul, Jackson and starting center Aaron Brewer, who is coming off a very good season.
Here is my Monday piece on the Dolphins’ revamped 17-player defensive back room and what to know on the new additions and the returnees.
This story was originally published March 16, 2026 at 11:57 AM.
