The Miami Dolphins did a lot to improve their offensive line after the 2021 season, adding two experienced veterans through free agency in Terron Armstead and Connor Williams to hold down the left tackle and center positions.
With Robert Hunt a talented, young right guard in place, Miami just had to figure out left guard and right tackle.
In 2022, those positions were expected to be held by Liam Eichenberg and Austin Jackson, respectively. However, both dealt with injuries, as the latter appeared in just two games.
Heading into 2023, Miami has brought back some depth, but no one to really push Jackson, so when general manager Chris Grier and assistant manager Marvin Allen sat down with the media on Wednesday, it’s no surprise that the first question that was asked was regarding the protection of Tua Tagovailoa’s blind side.
“The expectation is Austin is the starter at right tackle,” Grier said. “We’re excited for him. I know he was frustrated with some of the injuries last year, but he’s been working hard. He’s doing a lot of stuff here in the offseason. Having Terron (Armstead) around here, another year being around him for a year in the offseason will be a tremendous value for him.”
Grier also clarified that Hunt would not be moving from his position.
“For us, we’d like to see Robert stay at one position right now, stay at guard where, again, you’ve heard me say it here many times, I think he has tremendous potential, and he’s already, I believe, a very good player at that position in the league,” he said.
Consistency for Miami is great, but Jackson hasn’t been on the field enough to prove that he can do the job. He played just 84 offensive snaps in 2022, and that comes after moving from left guard and left tackle in his first two seasons.
Expecting Jackson to be sufficient might be a move that ends up coming back to bite the Dolphins, but it appears that they’re ready to take the risk.
