Michael Deiter has technically by no means earned a beginning spot with the Miami Dolphins.
In his rookie season his standing as a 2019 third-round draft choose acquired the previous Wisconsin standout elevated up the depth chart faster than he deserved, positioned into the beginning lineup as a left guard earlier than he was prepared, and that pressured promotion led to his place coach [Pat Flaherty] being fired one week into coaching camp — a day after he mentioned Deiter wasn’t prepared.
Deiter struggled as a starter that season for seemingly the worst line in franchise historical past, and was subsequently changed within the offseason with draftees, and moved to middle, the place he sat and watched for all however one sport of his second season.
Fast ahead to the 2021 season and Miami let veteran middle Ted Karras go away as a free agent, signed veteran starter Matt Skura, however didn’t let him compete with Deiter for the middle spot throughout coaching camp.
Skura acquired reduce on the finish of camp as Miami traded for Greg Mancz to function the backup. Deiter began the primary three video games of the season earlier than struggling a foot and calf harm that sidelined him for 9 weeks.
In that point the Dolphins wanted to make use of three facilities simply to make it via Deiter’s absence, and Miami’s coaches later acknowledged that lackluster play from the middle place was holding the offense again. When Deiter returned for the ultimate 5 video games of 2021, he delivered an uninspiring efficiency for yet one more disappointing Dolphins offensive line.
That is the story arch of Deiter’s NFL profession.
“I’m excited that I have a chance to come out here and compete and play for the Dolphins another year. That’s all I can focus on,” Deiter mentioned following Wednesday’s coaching session. “I just need to get ready to compete again this year.”
But with who?
If the Dolphins’ rebuilt offensive line fails — but once more — I’d put my cash on middle being the rationale why, and that’s as a result of Deiter hasn’t confirmed he’s an NFL starter but.
And what’s troubling is that the Dolphins haven’t added any professional competitors for Deiter this offseason. Not in free company, and never in final week’s draft.
It’s not too late to take action, contemplating some high quality facilities are nonetheless accessible as free brokers. Many of which is able to doubtless proceed their seek for work till coaching camp opens in late July.
But what can be the hurt in including a participant like J.C. Tretter now, giving the 31-year-old equal time to be taught this new offense, and forcing Deiter to outperform the eight-year veteran, who has began 90 video games and was a frontrunner for one of many NFL’s finest run-blocking offensive strains for the previous 4 seasons?
There is none. Yet common supervisor Chris Grier hasn’t accomplished it but.
“Just because the draft is over doesn’t mean we are going to stop looking to improve the roster,” Grier mentioned final week. “We’ll keep working through that all spring and through the summer.”
Maybe the plan is to maneuver one other lineman — Solomon Kindley, Robert Jones, Liam Eichenberg or Greg Little — to middle like Miami did with Deiter two years in the past, and have them battle it out. Maybe the Dolphins are simply being hush-hush about that grasp plan, or the experimentation happening.
Let’s hope that’s the case as a result of I discover it problematic that Deiter’s the one individual on Miami’s roster that doesn’t have a professional backup, and the one participant exterior of quarterback Tua Tagovailoa who will seemingly be gifted his beginning spot — once more.
This can’t be a sensible method, even with a brand new teaching workers.
Miami shouldn’t be ready till they see these offensive linemen in pads earlier than concluding, “We have a problem!” like they did final yr late in coaching camp when it commerce for Little and Mancz earlier than the common season began.
Has Grier not whiffed sufficient whereas attempting to rebuild this offensive line? Deiter’s getting into the ultimate yr of his rookie deal, so this will’t be in regards to the monetary funding made.
Is this about Grier proving he wasn’t fallacious in his preliminary analysis of Deiter? That wouldn’t be the precise method contemplating his current monitor document with offensive linemen.
I’d be hedging my bets at middle if I had been the Dolphins. If Deiter’s going to be the 2022 starter at that necessary place, let’s hope it’s a task he really earns.
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Source: www.bostonherald.com