Miami Dolphins may have finally addressed a void that has troubled franchise for years

For years the Miami Dolphins have been trying in vain to solve this problem. For years we’ve watched the team draft guys or sign free agent guys to address what’s wrong and still fail to fix the issue.

It’s been very frustrating.

No, silly, not the quarterback position.

The offensive line.

The Dolphins offensive line has been one of the most stubborn problems the Dolphins have faced for years across multiple head coaches. The Miami offensive line got Ryan Tannehill sacked more than any other NFL quarterback over his first four seasons. It was the epicenter of the bullying scandal. It’s where injuries to talented players such as Mike Pouncey, Branden Albert, Jake Long and others helped to derail seasons.

But here we are five games into the 2020 NFL season and, lo and behold, the Dolphins seem to have pancaked the problem. Because so far there’s been nothing to complain about with this offensive line. So far there’s no obvious weak link up front.

And the guys filling the voids that used to be turnstiles to the quarterback are young and promising improvement in the future. So, yeah, the Dolphins seem to be in a position to have an offensive line that is more an asset than a liability.

“I thought as a whole, they played well. I thought the pass protection against a good front was good,” Dolphins coach Brian Flores said this week after reviewing the tape of his team’s victory over San Francisco. “I thought the run game, we really got it going in the second half. I thought they played well overall.”

The line played well even as it underwent significant changes prior to the game. Because rookie left tackle Austin Jackson, who started the first four games, is on injured reserve, the Dolphins shifted starting right tackle Jesse Davis to left tackle. And they inserted second-round pick Robert Hunt at right tackle, giving him his first career start.

Amid the this significant shift there were no significant problems.

“Robert Hunt, this being his first significant playing time, I thought he showed himself well,” Flores said.

“Our plan all along had been to work Robert in at right tackle if something happened,” offensive coordinator Chan Gailey said Tuesday. “(Offensive Line Coach) Steve Marshall does a great job of getting guys ready in case we get an injury, and he had been working Rob at right tackle. Jesse had been working a little bit at left tackle. We just work those scenarios.

“Flo told us to start working that back three weeks, two-and-a-half weeks before the first ball game. We’d been working that, so it wasn’t a spur of the moment decision. We’d been planning if something happens, this is the direction we’re going to go. The players knew it. It wasn’t like it was a shock to them, either. And he did a good job.”

It’s one game. That doesn’t mean everything is thus solved for the next five years.

But it’s a good start for Hunt. And a view of Miami personnel now suggests improvement is not only possible but probable once youngsters gain more experience and perhaps address their physical weaknesses in the weight room next offseason.

All this combined with the idea chemistry and cohesion will improve with time is a cause for optimism.

That’s because Hunt, now the starting right tackle, is a rookie. And Jackson, the starting left tackle before his injury, is a rookie. And starting right guard Solomon Kindley is a rookie.

And starting left guard Ereck Flowers, perhaps the line’s best player right now, is only 26 years old.

Don’t forget, by the way, that Davis has been a starter for the Dolphins since 2017. He’s 29 and still might not have hit his peak.

Starting center Ted Karras, meanwhile, is solid. He signed a one-year, $4 million contract with the Dolphins this year as a way to prove what he believes is his real worth. So far, he’s proving he’s valuable.

So what does it all mean?

It means the Dolphins have six players they believe are starting caliber, with Davis able to play multiple positions. And those guys are generally getting good results.

The Dolphins have given up eight sacks in five games -- 1.6 sacks per game. That ranks tied for ninth best in the NFL and is a marked improvement from last year when Miami allowed 58 sacks.

This year the Dolphins are on pace to allow about 25 1/2 sacks.

The Dolphins have not been efficient running the football so far this season. They’re averaging 3.7 yards per game and that’s the third-worst mark in the league.

Some of that is the offensive line has to get better. Some of that is the talent at running back needs to improve. And some of that is opponents have been loading tackle boxes with extra defenders to prevent the Dolphins from running.

“We’ve tried to force it a few times just to keep them honest and haven’t made a lot of yards on it,” Gailey said. “I think we’re capable of it, and I think if people start taking away the pass, then we’ll start running it better.

“If they keep playing the run down there with an extra guy in the box, we’re going to keep throwing it.”

Gailey seemingly feels comfortable passing or running partly because his confidence in the offensive line is growing. And if the Dolphins can continue to take positive steps along the line, it will open up more choices for the offensive coordinator.

The line, it must be said, took a notable step Sunday when Miami ran the football in the second half to protect a big lead and shorten the game.

“We had a couple of bigger runs in the second half, especially when we were trying to run some clock and get it down the field with the running game instead of trying to throw it all over the park,” Gailey said. “We did a couple of things that were good. It was more of our counter game than it was of our just straight zone game. We’ve got to work on our zone game, that’s what we got to work.”

No, they’re not there yet.

But they’re closer than they’ve been in years.