Rebuilt O-line must find a way to mesh minus game action
Successful offensive lines feed off chemistry, communication and cohesion.
That’s why most NFL insiders expect the truncated NFL offseason, limited contact in training camp, and the lack of a preseason to present the greatest challenge to those units around the league.
It doesn’t help that the Miami Dolphins embarked on a massive makeover because of last season’s historic struggles along the offensive line.
Miami’s 14-player offensive line not only features eight newcomers, but six of them are rookies. And there’s also a new offense to learn plus a new position coach, Steve Marshall, responsible for teaching it.
This could lead to growing pains for a unit that not only finished tied with the Carolina Panthers for most sacks allowed (58) last season but set a franchise low in rushing yards gained (1,156).
“When the first ballgame is the New England Patriots on the road, we certainly have a challenge there,” Marshall said, referring to the Dolphins’ Sept. 13 season opener at New England. “Whether you’re a rookie or a four-year guy, my job is to get them prepared to play the best they can play.”
At least Marshall does have some familiarity with Chan Gailey’s system and schemes, considering he worked under the Dolphins’ new offensive coordinator for two seasons with the New York Jets.
“I thought it was important to go with someone who was familiar with that style of play,” Dolphins coach Brian Flores said. “That played a role in hiring Steve. He’s a good coach [and] a very good teacher of Oline play.
“He and I had a good feel, a good vibe during our interview process. He works well with Chan, and he works well with the offensive staff.”
According to Flores, who is now working with his third offensive line coach in a little over a year, Marshall has a reputation as a respected teacher and for being “tough on his players.”
“He offers tons of knowledge,” veteran offensive lineman Jesse Davis said when asked about Marshall, for whom he played briefly as a member of the Jets in 2016.
“He’s seen probably every technique you can get from different players to different styles of play, and any question you have he answers it on the fly. It’s been great.”
Because the players are only doing conditioning work, weight lifting and walkthroughs until later this week, Marshall admitted the evaluation process hasn’t started yet. But when it does begin he and his staff have plenty to sort out.
How much has Julien Davenport developed in his third NFL season? Is left tackle the ideal spot for the 27-game starter whom Miami acquired in last year’s trade that sent Laremy Tunsil and Kenny Stills to Houston?
Is Austin Jackson, the former USC standout Miami selected with the 18th pick in the draft, ready to be an immediate starter at left tackle?
Where is the best spot for Davis, who is expected to be the lone holdover from last year’s starting unit? Davis has started 41 games the past three seasons, making at least two starts at every spot but center during his NFL career.
“We will lean on Jesse from a leadership standpoint off the field and in these meetings,” Marshall said. “We’ll see where he goes.”
Is right guard or right tackle the best spot for Robert Hunt, the Dolphins’ second-round pick from Louisiana Lafayette? Hunt played right tackle in college, but many projected he’d make a better NFL guard.
“Every day it’s a new adventure for him mentally [with] what we’re asking him to do,” Marshall said about Hunt. “I love the heck out of him and he’s competing his tail off for what we’re asking him to do right now. We’ll see where it all goes.”
Can Solomon Kindley, the Georgia standout the Dolphins selected in the third round, push for a starting spot on the interior of the offensive line?
With veteran Ereck Flowers added to the team as a free agent, where do returning veterans Michael Deiter, Shaq Calhoun and Danny Isidora fit into the lineup?
And who serves as the backup to Ted Karras at center?
Flores has consistently stressed his goal is to start the best five offensive linemen and then figure out a combination that works best.
Based on what Miami did last season, every player will be cross-trained to play at least two spots, which is crucial during the coronavirus pandemic because a player can test positive for the virus and be sidelined for weeks.
That means the Dolphins must build a unit that’s nine or 10 players deep, which possesses the flexibility to survive injuries and COVID-19, and one that will hopefully grow together.