Williams at Center would mean Dieter is a bust
In this early period of the offseason, there is rarely much in the way of real football news to talk about. But, Miami Dolphins fans recieved a real nugget of football news: Phins O-linemen Connor Williams said he expects to play center. Considering Williams was the Left Guard for the Dallas Cowboys, this is interesting news indeed.
Connor Williams at center is both interesting & concerning
Williams was ranked as a Top 10 guard last season, even though he did have an issue with penalties. On paper, it looked like he would be part of our makeover on the left side of the line along with the signing of Left Tackle Terron Armstead. Many of the sportsbook software providers were betting this new combo on the left side would be a major upgrade over past seasons. It was expected that the left side would be set for the 2022 Season…
… But, even though we have a new coaching staff, it seems like they’re doing the same thing past regimes have done. Again, the Phins staff is moving offensive linemen around to see if they can play a different position. Sadly, this hasn’t worked in the past for us. It’s a bit of a disappointment that we are retrying this experiment… again!
Williams himself said this past Thursday that the Dolphins told him they “likely” would move him to center with that being the plan “as of now.” Williams has been working at center since the offseason program began in April, so at least there’s that. Clearly, the reason Miami didn’t draft or target a center in free agency was that they had Williams pegged at that position all along.
Phins moving their O-linemen to new positions again!
The problem I have with this, is that Williams has already proven himself to be a very capable Left Guard, so why make a veteran change position? The Cowboys did think Williams could be a Center for them, and they had a plan to try him there. However, they never put the plan into action and only tried him at Center during the preseason last year.
I get that teams want to get their best 5 Offensive Linemen on the field, and this appears to follow that theory. But, if Williams is the best Left Guard on the team and that’s the position he is best at, then shouldn’t he play that position? It must mean Michael Dieter’s talents aren’t highly rated by this new staff. I hope the Dolphins make me look dumb and nail this move! Unfortunately, the Dolphins have an ugly track record when it comes to experimenting with position changes on the Offensive Line.
If Williams does end up being the Center, this means Liam Eichenberg will have the inside track in being the starting left guard. Eichenberg had a rocky rookie season, so hopefully, he can improve. He’d better because he’ll have loads of help playing in between Armstead and Williams!
This is such a big season, let’s hope McDaniel is smarter than the previous Dolphins Head Coaches!
What are the rest of the Miami Dolphins News fans’ thoughts about what Miami’s plans are for utilizing Connor Williams?