Chris Perkins: Should Dolphins simply 'invest' in OL, or go beyond that?

Chris Perkins, South Florida Sun Sentinel on Mar 29, 2025

Published in Football

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If the offensive line is a top-level, no-excuses priority for the Dolphins, I’ve got a question about how you’d like to see them proceed in the offseason.

Would you like to see the Dolphins simply “invest” in the offensive line, as general manager Chris Grier suggested they’d do this offseason, or should they double down on their investment in the offensive line?

Here’s the argument for doubling down on the offensive line: Consider how important the offensive line is to getting this high-scoring, high-dollar offense rolling, in both the passing and running games. It’d be wise to go above and beyond when building/re-supplying this area.

What that means in operational terms is, say, drafting an offensive lineman, preferably a guard-tackle, in the first three rounds, and on the back end of free agency, sign a guard-center who is starting caliber for a stretch of games.

What does that look like?

You could argue that last season’s veteran backup tackle Kendall Lamm, who recently signed with Philadelphia, was starting caliber for a burst of games, maybe six or eight or 10.

Perhaps, to set a general guideline, doubling down on the offensive line means each of your second-team linemen in 2025 are roughly the same level as Lamm.

It’s your call as to whether center Andrew Meyer, reserve tackles Kion Smith, Jackson Carman, Larry Borom and Ryan Hayes, or reserve guard Liam Eichenberg are at that level.

So there’s that side of the discussion.

Here’s the argument for deciding to simply invest in the offensive line: The Dolphins also need starting-caliber help in the draft at defensive tackle, cornerback and safety.

Those can’t be ignored.

If those aren’t addressed, your leaky defense will force your offense to average 30 points per game. And that’s only a slight exaggeration.

Defensive tackle is crucial to run defense, cornerback is crucial to pass defense, and the safety is the last line of defense.

Beyond that, you could reasonably claim that the cash-strapped Dolphins need a starter and quality backup at both defensive tackle and cornerback.

Viewing things from that lens, all you can afford to do is invest in the offensive line, because it hurts the team too much as a whole to double down on the offensive line.

This is a tough call between giving your offense every possible chance to succeed and giving your team every possible chance to succeed.

As an aside, regardless of how you feel about the offensive line approach, there might be an offensive line lesson or two from last offseason that can be applied to this offseason.

Lesson No. 1: Don’t draft a one-position offensive lineman. Tackle Patrick Paul, last year’s second-round pick, is “just” a tackle. I mean no disrespect at all. The point is that drafting a guard-tackle could have addressed the guard issue last season, while gaining valuable snaps for your rookie second-round pick and still providing left tackle depth for 2024 and a starter for 2025.

The Dolphins almost always opt for versatility in their offensive linemen, but they veered from that philosophy with Paul.

Lesson No. 2: Establish a plan in case guard James Daniels is slow to recover from his Achilles injury or if his recovery doesn’t go as planned.

Last year, wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr., who was signed while recovering from a lingering knee ailment, had his recovery take longer than expected, forcing him to miss the first four games.

And edge rusher Jaelan Phillips, who was recovering from an Achilles injury, sustained a midseason knee injury that sidelined him for the rest of the year.

Daniels said he expects to be fully healthy for the season opener.

However, recoveries sometimes get delayed or sidetracked. Be prepared at this key position.

But let’s get back to whether the Dolphins should invest in the offensive line or double down on the offensive line.

My preference is for the Dolphins to simply invest in the offensive line rather than double down.

After all, they return eight offensive starters. Those returning starters, especially quarterback Tua Tagovailoa and wide receivers Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle, must be able to carry more than their share of the load. They must do extra, they must exceed expectations.

It’s more urgent that the Dolphins get adequate defensive help, especially in the top part of the draft, where starters are usually found.

By the way, neither approach requires the Dolphins to draft an offensive lineman in the first round.

Both approaches, however, absolutely require the Dolphins to draft a starting guard at some point.

It’s up to you how the offensive line situation is handled after that.

What’s your choice?