Breaking Down the Dolphins Moves with Eichenberg and Bonner

The Miami Dolphins made two roster moves Monday in advance of the start of the new league year March 11, the most significant involving former second-round pick Liam Eichenberg.

The Dolphins released the offensive lineman with a failed physical designation, along with extending a qualifying offer to exclusive-rights free agent Ethan Bonner.

By the designation, this means that Bonner can negotiate a 2026 contract with only the Dolphins, so essentially this was like picking up a team option, which was a no-brainer for a player who has shown promise and will make the minimum salary or close to it.

Eichenberg spent the entire 2025 season on PUP as he tried working his way back from a leg injury that was serious enough that his future could be in doubt. This came after Eichenberg had signed a one-year contract to rejoin the Dolphins last season, and per the terms of the Collective Bargaining Agreement a player in the last year of his contract who spends the whole season on PUP has his contract tolled (or carried over to the next year).

Therefore, Eichenberg technically still was under contract with Miami for 2026 until Monday.

The cap implications of the move are minimal and this was about moving on from Eichenberg, who may or may not be able to play in 2026.

THE EICHENBERG ERA

The move means another one of the team's nine first- or second-round picks from the 2020 and 2021 draft is gone, with Eichenberg following out the door 2020 first-round pick Noah Igbinoghene, 2020 second-rounders Robert Hunt and Raekwon Davis, 2021 first-round selection Jaelan Phillips and 2021 second-rounder Jevon Holland.

That's six players gone, with the only three left being 2020 first-round picks Tua Tagovailoa and Austin Jackson, and 2021 first-rounder Jaylen Waddle.

Those nine picks were supposed to form the foundation of a perennial contender, but instead became the symbol of underachievement.

Eichenberg ended up starting 52 games for the Dolphins in his four seasons of action and saw action at every position on the offensive line.

But his unsurpassed versatility didn't win over a lot of fans, who instead made him their whipping boy for an offensive line that more often than not failed to measure up.

And while no one would suggest Eichenberg ever was a high-end player, he probably was better than given credit for and one can only wonder whether the Dolphins hurt his development by bouncing him around so much — particularly as a second-round pick who was deemed among the most NFL-ready prospects when he came out of Notre Dame in 2021.

What made everything worse when it comes to Eichenberg, though, is the fact the Dolphins surrendered a 2022 third-round pick to move up eight spots (from 50th to 42nd) in the 2021 second round to select him.

Instead of taking Eichenberg, the Dolphins could have had Oklahoma center Creed Humphrey, who was selected by the Kansas City Chiefs at the bottom of that second round and has become among the best centers in the NFL.

Among the third-round picks the Dolphins could have selected in 2022 had they not surrendered their selection to the New York Giants to move up to get Eichenberg were Buffalo Bills linebacker Terrel Bernard, Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Nakobe Dean and Tennessee Titans quarterback Malik Willis, the same Malik Willis the Dolphins might or might not pursue in free agency next week.

Regardless, Eichenberg played through a lot of injuries during his time in Miami, he played a lot of different positions, but he just didn't play at the level of his draft position and nowhere near that when you factor in the trade up.

The question now is whether he'll get the chance to revive his career with another team.