Exploring Dolphins’ options to fix offensive tackle in coming months. And Tua feedback
A six-pack of Miami Dolphins notes on a Monday:
▪ After trading away Laremy Tunsil for a treasure trove of draft assets and then spending high picks on two players they thought could be left tackles, the Dolphins still have no answers at the position.
And that means Miami likely will need to spend big to fix it next spring.
Since moving Austin Jackson to guard — where they believe he’s better suited — Liam Eichenberg has been a turnstile as his replacement. And the Dolphins don’t believe Greg Little is any better than Eichenberg.
Eichenberg not only has allowed the most pressures of any NFL lineman, but he has been the worst left tackle in football since the position switch.
He allowed seven pressures and two sacks against Baltimore and now has yielded six sacks and 32 pressures in six starts at that position.
So aside from making a decision at quarterback, left tackle becomes the most interesting question of the offseason. The organization cannot be trusted to draft another one.
So unless Eichenberg makes seismic improvement, free agency becomes the likely solution. There could five solid-to-very good options: New Orleans’ Terron Armstead, Kansas City’s Orlando Brown, Indianapolis’ Eric Fisher, Washington’s Charles Leno and Seattle’s Duane Brown.
Orlando Brown likely won’t make it to free agency and Armstead would cost a bundle if he does.
Armstead, 30, was a Pro Bowler the past three years and is the best of the group; Pro Football Focus predicts he will get a three-year, $57.5 million deal.
PFF notes that the Saints “rarely let a player they want to retain get away, but after making Ryan Ramczyk the highest-paid right tackle in NFL history by a decent margin with his five-year, $96 million extension signed before 2021, the decision with Armstead gets interesting. Armstead has consistently been one of the best tackles in football since he was drafted in 2013…
“He’s one of the position’s best pass protectors and rarely loses in the run game.... There are plenty of teams with cap space next offseason — such as Jacksonville, Miami and Washington — that could make use of Armstead’s services if the Saints opt against bringing him back. Armstead may not quite be Trent Williams, but he’s one of the best all-around tackles in the league and would make almost any offense better.”
If the Dolphins are going to spend big on outside free agents, left tackle and perhaps inside linebacker would be the positions to do it.
PFF says Brown, 25, could command a five-year, $105 million deal; Kansas City likely will keep him after trading for him, so he’s an unlikely option.
PFF notes “Brown was granted his request to depart from the Baltimore Ravens so that he could start full-time at left tackle.The Chiefs probably feel comfortable about their trade decision and will now pay accordingly.”
PFF rates the 30-year-old Fisher the 35th best free agent in the 2022 class, noting “Fisher understandably had a slow start to the 2021 season as he worked his way back from an Achilles injury, but he’s bounced back to his Kansas City form in recent weeks. Fisher is a former No. 1 overall pick, and while he may not have lived up to those lofty expectations, he’s a very solid NFL left tackle.”
PFF said Duane Brown, 36, could command a two-year, $20 million deal, adding: “We’re getting toward the tail end of Brown’s stellar career in which he’s been one of the best pass protectors in the league.”
PFF said Leno, 30, could command a two-year, $15 million, noting he “isn’t an overly exciting free-agent target, but he can eliminate a weakness for teams with a clear need for a starting-caliber left tackle.”
Among all tackles this season, PFF rates Armstead 13th, Leno 17th, Orlando Brown 21st, Duane Brown 37th and Fisher 42nd.
Conversely, PFF rates Jesse Davis 72nd and Eichenberg 77th of 79 tackles.
It’s unlikely Davis will be the right tackle in 2022. The Dolphins could move Eichenberg there, switch right guard Rob Hunt back to right tackle or sign a free agent.
The Dolphins never thought they would be in this position after investing three high picks on tackles (Jackson, Eichenberg and Rob Hunt, who was the only one of the three that was never tried at left tackle).
It’s the biggest failing of the rebuild, and they’ll need money to fix it.
▪ How are Eichenberg’s spirits amid this nightmarish stretch?
Davis said Eichenberg is “is usually petty upbeat... We all have struggles. The confidence he needs to gain as a tackle, it’s him versus himself. I try to help work with him and he works with me.”
▪ Dolphins players appreciated how Tua Tagovailoa handled himself in relief of Jacoby Brissett on Thursday night.
“He knows how to win games,” Davis said. “Tua prepares the right way. He knows how to communicate to us. For him to come off a short week and injury to Jacoby, hats off to him. He did a good job. Tua comes in and looks you in the eye with confidence and gives you the play. He doesn’t stutter. He shows confidence to his players.”
Tight end Mike Gesicki put it this way: “Great kid, good leader. He’s cool, calm, collected and does his job at an effective rate and everyone is excited to play with him.”
▪ Dolphins players had a blast with the high volume of blitzing on Thursday night.
“It throws the offensive line off,” defensive end Emmanuel Ogbah said. “They don’t know who to block so it throws them off the spot and makes our job easier. I know who’s coming but they don’t know who’s coming. It’s finally turning around and I’m thankful for that.”
▪ This defensive line is coming on strong. Ogbah is top 20 in the league in pressures; Zach Sieler continues to make as many good player per snap as any front seven player on the team; Christian Wilkins is having his best season, per metrics sites; Adam Butler had his first sack as a Dolphin on Thursday and has played well against the run; and the run defense has improved since Raekwon Davis came on.
“We have a great bond as a D-line,” Sieler said. “We all feed off each other very well and our play styles. All of us besides Butler were here last year. Learning how to play with him and him with us has been progressive and beneficial.”
Though Sieler doesn’t live in an RV anymore, fans still ask him about it. “You should try it once; it’s a good experience,” he said.
▪ Receiver Isaiah Ford — who had four catches for 84 yards against Baltimore — said people have told him that he has nine lives with the Dolphins.
“I’ve heard that a few times, the ex-girlfriend who keeps coming back,” he said.
The Dolphins have made 18 transactions with Ford, between cutting him, signing him, signing him to the practice squad or promoting him.
“It’s a testament to the way I’ve carried myself and the way I worked in the classroom and on field,” he said.
He was cut Aug. 24 but re-signed Oct. 23 after multiple injuries to receivers.
“I was fortunate they wanted me to come back,” Ford said.
After previous departures, Flores and general manager Chris Grier have told him “you never know, we may cross paths again.”
Ford — who was briefly with New England last season but never appeared in a game — has played in 25 NFL games, with one start — all for the Dolphins — and has 57 catches, 617 yards and a touchdown.
A former seventh-round pick, Ford said his ability to sustain a five-year career and keep coming back to the Dolphins “is a testament to my parents. If you leave a good impression, a lasting impression, you can cross paths again and never burn bridges.”
ROSTER MOVE
The Dolphins are signing former Bengals defensive tackle Andrew Billings to their practice squad, per NFL Network. He has 3.5 sacks in 53 NFL games, including 37 starts. He spent his first three seasons with Cincinnati before appearing in six games for Cleveland this season.
Here’s my Monday piece with news from Brian Flores’ news conference, including Tua Tagovailoa’s status, a Will Fuller update and more.
Here’s my Monday Miami Hurricanes 6-pack with lots of news.
This story was originally published November 15, 2021 at 5:08 PM.
