Offensive linemen cast aside by Dolphins are outperforming ones kept. And news from Flores
The Dolphins have made myriad missteps in selecting offensive linemen early in the draft this century, from Wade Smith to Jonathan Martin to Dallas Thomas, among others.
Whether any of the three linemen selected in the first 42 spots of the past two drafts — Austin Jackson, Rob Hunt and Liam Eichenberg — become very good long-term starters remains a question. It’s too soon to know.
But here’s another offensive line mistake that has bitten the Dolphins this season: Players who were on the roster this year and then jettisoned have outperformed the players here.
The Dolphins were so eager to dump left guard Ereck Flowers a year after signing him to a three-year, $30 million contract that they paid him $6 million simply to go away.
They dealt him — along with the 258th pick in past April’s draft — to Washington for the 244th pick, which was used on running back Gerrid Doaks, who was released.
The cap savings was negligible: Miami is carrying $8 million in dead money for Flowers this season. Flowers was going to count for $10 million on the cap for the Dolphins if he had stayed on the team, so Miami’s cap savings was only $2 million, while its cash savings was $3 million — an insignificant amount for billionaire owner Stephen Ross.
Fast forward six months. Flowers has allowed no sacks and just three pressures in three starts for Washington and Pro Football Focus ranks him the 18th-best guard in the league so far this season.
Then there’s Jermaine Eluemunor, who never received first-team reps with the Dolphins during training camp, was cut on Aug. 24, and signed with Las Vegas.
With the Raiders, he has permitted just one pressure and no sacks and made a great block on a run to set up Las Vegas’ game-winning field goal on Sunday.
PFF rates Eluemunor 39th among NFL guards.
By contrast, PFF rates Rob Hunt 55th of 67 guards, much worse than where he graded out at right tackle during the final six weeks last season.
Solomon Kindley, who was benched after Week 2, is a respectable 38th.
While two players cast aside by the Dolphins — Flowers and Eluemunor — haven’t been beaten much in pass coverage, Dolphins left tackle Jackson has permitted 14 quarterback pressures (third most among all NFL tackles) in two games, Jesse Davis has permitted 11 pressures and Eichenberg 10 pressures in two starts.
Among 74 tackles, PFF rates Davis 62nd (he’s now at left guard), Jackson 64th and Eichenberg 69th.
So why dump Flowers and Eluemonor?
Flores politely declined to answer that Wednesday. “I’m more worried about guys on our team,” he said. “Not worried about those players. I haven’t given that much thought to that.”
Have the Dolphins made mistakes in evaluating offensive linemen?
“I’m not one to look back,” Flores said. “I focus on guys on our team. Look at what’s in front of me.”
THIS AND THAT
▪ Receiver Will Fuller missed practice with elbow and chest injuries.
▪ Flores said there would be no change to who’s calling plays. Miami ranks 30th in points and 31st in yards per game.
George Godsey is calling the plays, according to opposing coaches Bill Belichick and Jon Gruden.
But Trent Dilfer — who’s close with Tua Tagovailoa — said this week that quarterback coach Charlie Frye is actually the one calling the plays.
Flores declined to confirm or deny Dilfer’s assertion or say who’s calling the plays. Flores reiterated what he said previously — that Frye is the one in the quarterback’s ear.
“It’s a collaborative effort,” Flores said. “We have a process we feel very comfortable with. Charlie is part of that process.”
▪ The Dolphins will have a celebration of Don Shula’s life at 4:30 p.m. Saturday at Hard Rock Stadium. It’s free and open to the public.
Flores said one of his takeaways from interaction with Shula was “being demanding of players, discipline, toughness, hard work, guys who love to play. If you have enough of those types of guys,... and they band together, you get the results you want.”
▪ With the Colts playing the Dolphins on Sunday (1 p.m., CBS), Flores acknowledged that because quarterback Jacoby Brissett previously played for Indianapolis, there “are some things [the Colts] can take from that.”
But Flores said Brissett “has knowledge of some of their plays as well. The history he has with them will have some bearing.”
Brissett will fill in for injured Tagovailoa at least two more games.
▪ Flores said rookie receiver Jaylen Waddle is seeing different defenses and “he’s doing a lot of the right things, asking the right questions. Over time, he will be just fine.”
▪ The fact that co-offensive coordinator Eric Studesville referenced that Miami is limited by other teams’ defensive looks struck something of a nerve with Dolphin fans. Should the Dolphins force the issue regardless of the defensive looks?
“Everyone wants to see more explosive plays,” Flores said. “I’m that way as well. But I want us to play smart and tough and disciplined and give us a chance to win...
“We need to put them in better positions to take those shots. But you also don’t want to force things. There’s a balance between being aggressive and being smart.”
▪ Kindley appears in a new Geico commercial. He’s the team’s first active offensive lineman with an ad on national TV.
This story was originally published September 29, 2021 at 11:32 AM.
