Dolphins OL Depth Suffers Another Injury Setback

The Miami Dolphins are already dealing with another injury on the offensive line. 

Backup interior lineman Andrew Meyer will miss “weeks” with an injury, head coach Mike McDaniel told reporters on Wednesday. 

“He’s had a great camp, really stepped his game, and I’m very impressed with his play,” McDaniel said. “He will be out weeks, but he’s built a strong foundation as one of the top performers if you want to talk about growth of game. One of the top guys from year one to year two that has made tremendous strides.” 

Meyer has spent most of training camp filling in for center Aaron Brewer, who only recently returned to the lineup after dealing with an injury of his own. The second-year player held his own with Brewer out, and it’s clear he was in line to be one of the team’s primary backups. 

The team clearly likes Meyer a great deal, as he made the 53-man roster as a UDFA last year and remained on the roster throughout the entire 2024 season. 

Meyer’s injury comes at a time when multiple other potential contributors are dealing with an injury. Starting right tackle Austin Jackson could be back by Week 1, but he’s missing extended time, and Liam Eichenberg is still on the Physically Unable to Perform list. 

That’s prompted the Dolphins to make multiple free agent signings, including bringing in Daniel Brunskill to replace Eichenberg during camp and adding Germaine Ifedi to play some tackle reps. 

Updated Look at Miami’s OL Depth 

Let’s assume Brewer’s injury isn’t something that pops up again, and that Jackson is good to go for Week 1. The latter isn’t guaranteed, but it seems like the most likely outcome right now. 

The Dolphins’ starting five offensive linemen seem pretty set, but everything past that is up for grabs. Meyer and Eichenberg were expected to be primary backups on the interior, but they might not be ready for the season. 

That leaves Brunskill, who has had an uneven performance during camp, and players like Ifedi and Kion Smith as possible guard options. Smith has worked at tackle and guard during camp, so his versatility might give him an advantage during roster cuts. 

Brunskill has center experience, so he figures to be the next man up if Brewer goes down, while Smith and Ifedi would be more likely to replace guards Jonah Savaiinaea or James Daniels. 

The team’s tackle depth isn’t looking that much better, either. Larry Borom, Ryan Hayes, Smith, and Ifedi could all serve as potential backups if Jackson misses regular-season time. Boron is probably the front runner, but he’s also had an uneven camp so far. 

Ifedi was just signed, while Hayes and Smith don’t have much regular-season experience. 

The Dolphins did their best to add depth offensive linemen with starting experience, while investing in young players who have flashed in previous seasons. 

Borom, Eichenberg, Brunksill, and even Ifedi have a lot of starting experience. Meyer and Smith have both flashed in previous training camps. That’s not a bad strategy for building offensive line depth, but it doesn’t seem like the team’s injury luck is cooperating with that plan.