FA Needs to Bring Some O-Line Help for Phins!
Miami can’t afford to be big spenders, but they can find help at guard in FA
While the Miami Dolphins have a ton of holes that they need to fill to find success in the 2025 Season, they can’t fill them all. So, Chris Grier and Mike McDaniel have to make the most of every move to right the ship. Free Agency will be the first leg of the roster refill, followed by the draft, and then the second round of Free Agency after cuts just prior to Week 1.
Grier made it clear he had a few players in Free Agency on the radar and will take his shots at them, but they need to be reasonably priced and capable. The good news is capable part will be easy considering Robert Jones and Liam Eichenberg were terrible for us.
The Dolphins currently don’t have a starting guard, have Terron Armstead teetering on retirement, and Austin Jackson coming off serious injury. So, you can bet with the best pay per head that the Phins have some serious work cut out for them to do this right.
Who are the prime targets & the Pros & Cons
We need help with our run game in the biggest way–like a herd of elephants big! But we run loads of outside zone and gap blocking, so we must use the lens of what are our scheme needs to see who can help us. I don’t expect much to change in our philosophy… with a tad bit of tweaking, so we need guys who can move.
Just for reference, below are two gap rushing plays.
Generally, it’s down blocking for the tackles and center and the guards either pulling to block or getting to the second level. Although, at times the tackles and center can get these assignments as well. This means any Free Agent offensive linemen on our radar needs wheels. We tried offensive linemen without wheel in Robert Jones and that flopped harder than a 400lb belly flop, so I doubt we try that again.
So, here are the prime candidates to help the Phins out who are in are price range, can move well enough, and offer the potential for an upgrade. Let’s be clear though, none of these players are sure locks to cure what has ailed the offensive line for so long:
- Aaron Banks: Knows the 49ers system, which has similarities to the Dolphins. Young at 27 years old. Allowed only 1 sack and 19 pressures in his limited appearances. Not great in the run game and has had issues with his MCL back-to-back seasons and broken finger over the last two seasons.
- James Daniels: Daniels struggled with the Bears, but had three consecutive healthy seasons, until he tore his ACL with the Steelers this season. Daniels can move but produced better in zone blocking than gap blocking. Wonder if the ACL injury will slow him down longer. It surely will in the short term, and he might need some time to get up to speed. Daniels is young though at 27 years old.
- Brandon Scherff: The ‘old man’ is 33 years old, but he has played nearly every down for 3 seasons. He isn’t what he was years ago, but he’s a darn good vet who might come in at around $5 million per season and be a stable and veteran player that the Phins need with Armstead gone. He isn’t the most mobile now and his gap play isn’t as good as zone. For the price and what he brings, he might be the safest bet for a one-year stop gap.
The rest are likely too expensive for the Dolphins pocketbook and/or are tackles that don’t want to move inside. Ronnie Staley, Patrick Mekari, Will Fries, and Tevon Jenkins all will likely command too much for the Dolphins to afford. Maybe Dan Moore Jr., Ezra Cleaveland, or Will Hernadez might be cheaper players, but they aren’t the best fit. There are obviously others out there to choose from, but they don’t float my boat. Of course, I might be missing some.
Fans should expect the free Agency to be a primary place where we add offensive linemen with the draft filling out the roster and setting the team up for the future. Let’s hope, and pray, and do the ‘No Whammy’ dance that Grier gets this right. Go Phins!!!
