Dave Hyde: Dolphins’ most important piece to rebuilt offensive line is one no one talks about

For years, the Miami Dolphins have spent massively and futilely on the offensive line. They’ve used four, first-round picks in the past 10 years on it.

They also signed four free agents over that period to contracts in the double-digit millions — like last year with guard Ereck Flowers’ guaranteed $19.5 million. He’s now in Washington.

They’ve doubled-down on the draft in this rebuild, too. In the past three years, they used more than one collective draft on the line: one first-round pick, two second-round picks, one third, two fourths and a seventh-round pick.

But what if everyone’s paying attention to the wrong investment?

“The offensive line coach is a helluva lot more important than any of his players,” Hall of Fame coach Jimmy Johnson said. “That’s probably the only assistant you can say that about.”

If you were to rank positions that have been franchise embarrassments to the Dolphins in the past decade, the offensive line coach would be No. 1. It’s like the position is haunted.

Jim Turner was fired for being in the middle of Bullygate. Chris Foerster was fired after video of him snorting a white, powdery substance in a team office was released by a Vegas model. Pat Flaherty was fired four practices into Brian Flores’ head-coaching era.

Lemuel Jeanpierre is Flores’ third line coach in three years. He was an assistant line coach last year and was promoted to coach his first line this season. What a chance to shine, too. He has more potential to mold and more decisions to make than any peer in the league.

Robert Hunt, last year’s rookie right tackle, is now at right guard. Maybe. Rookie Liam Eichenberg, the expected right tackle this season, practiced in three positions Saturday. Was that for depth, as happens? Or is something changing?

And center? Who will it be? Third-year Michael Deiter, a mostly reserve guard the previous two seasons, was the starting center in the first week camp. Truth is, the only position set in concrete is left tackle Austin Jackson, last year’s No. 1 pick.

“Lem is cool,” Hunt said. “Lem is one of us.”

He meant Jeanpierre played six years as an offensive lineman for Seattle until 2015. He also meant Jeanpierre is in his first year as a top assistant. So he’s starting his job just as these young linemen are.

“He’s just like us,” Hunt said. “He helped the rookies last year a ton and now [helps us] try to take a second-year leap. He’s a fun guy.”

This offense and the development of Tua Tagovailoa go nowhere if the line isn’t better. Dolphins quarterbacks had the least time to throw in the league last year. The offense ranked 27th with a 3.9-yard rushing average. Flores opting to go for a league-low eight fourth downs was surely in part due to a lack of confidence in the line.

Many of those problems could be explained by starting three rookies on the line. But this year is about results. No team has invested in the line of late like the Dolphins. Many great teams never do. All have great offenses and have a good offensive line coach, though.

New England used two first-round picks on the line to the Dolphins’ four over the past decade. But Bill Belichick had Dante Scarnecchia polishing lesser investments into a solid line. Scarnecchia retired in 2015, the line floundered and Belichick got him back the next year.

Johnson took Tony Wise with him from the University of Miami.

“Tony was the worst recruiter in the world,” he said. “But he was the best offensive line coach I’ve been around.”

Johnson never used a first-round pick on an offensive lineman. He thought that was where you got playmakers. His Super Bowl line still was full of Pro Bowlers. An undrafted and converted defensive lineman (Mark Tuinei) and third-round pick (Erik Williams) were tackles. A guy thought too fat (Nate Newton) and a seventh-round pick (Kevin Cogan) were guards.

At center? “I said, ‘Tony can you take this 245-pound guard and teach him to play center?’ " Johnson said of Mark Stepnoski, who became a three-time All-Pro center.

All of which explains Johnson’s belief the line coach is more important than any lineman.

“Offensive linemen are in a world of their own,” Johnson said. “The guy they’re blocking almost always is a better athlete. If they make the wrong step, the better athlete is going to beat them. If they screw up an assignment, the play is dead.

“But you can get guys that are smart and do the right thing, that have some ability and size and they can be taught how to play — if you have the right teacher.

“I was lucky. I had Tony. He made that line in Dallas. If you’ve got someone in the quarterback’s face and he’s running for his life, the play’s dead. Maybe the series is dead. Maybe the game’s dead.”

For years, the Dolphins have been dead. Only part of that’s on the offensive line. But it’s been a loud, expensive and often embarrassing part.

They’ve spent big on it again in this rebuild with draft picks and money. But the most crucial player on the line doesn’t play there. Jeanpierre molds the clay. Flores’ third line coach in three years needs to be the right one.