MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — The Miami Dolphins can’t catch a break. Another week, another hurt offensive lineman for head coach Mike McDaniel, the latest being left guard Isaiah Wynn.
Wynn suffered a quadriceps injury Sunday against the Philadelphia Eagles, an injury that will keep him out at least the next four games.
That’s a big loss for an offensive line already without left tackle Terron Armstead and (for the last two weeks) center Connor Williams.
Wynn got hurt on the first drive, so for most of the game, the Dolphins played backups Kendall Lamm, Lester Cotton, and Liam Eichenberg on the left side. The result was ugly. The Dolphins’ offense scored the fewest points (10) and rushed for the fewest yards (45) of the year.
What are the Dolphins’ options internally? And how about externally, ahead of next week’s NFL trade deadline? We discuss in our Week 8 PFN Miami Dolphins Podcast.
From the current NFL standings to team depth charts to coverage of every game in the 18-week NFL schedule, we have all the news from around the league to keep you up to speed!
Will Miami Dolphins Trade for OL Ahead of Deadline?
Miami would, of course, prefer to have neither Cotton nor Eichenberg in the lineup. One of those two will go to the bench when Williams returns, and our sense is it’ll be Eichenberg.
But even if Cotton is this week’s LG1, he might not get a ton of leeway if his play isn’t better than it was against the Eagles. Robert Jones was more than solid in training camp and is now two full months removed from an MCL sprain that landed him on injured reserve to start the season.
MORE: The Miami Dolphins Should Go Full Wrestling Heel
“I think Lester is a very accountable person and has come as far as really anybody that we’ve had on the roster since he joined the team last year,” McDaniel said Monday.
“I think it’s a tough spot to be in — to go out there and perform against a front like that. There’s some stuff that I know he can do better that he would do better if he had the whole practice week as the starter.
“So first and foremost, I believe in the player and lost zero confidence in him, but he’ll be the first one to say that there’s some stuff that he would expect to be better at. And Rob has been working his tail off to get in the position that he’s in right now to be able to actively play. So like I said from the beginning, we are fortunate to have depth, and I look forward to Lester getting a lot more reps at the position during the week.”
The Dolphins should (and surely will) take the next week to get a clear-eyed evaluation of that position. Not only is the offense’s success dependent on getting it right, so is Tua Tagovailoa’s health.
The good news? There potentially are upgrades available on the trade market, which we run through — plus put a bow on Week 7 and look ahead to Week 8 — in the pod.