Dolphins Starting O-Line Might Not Be Status Quo After All

Dan Feeney's first meeting with the South Florida media was highlighted by talk of his unmistakable mullet, his beer guzzling at NHL games and that hilarious video that popped on former New York Jets and now Miami Dolphins teammate Mike White.

But what stood out when it comes to Feeney joining Miami as an unrestricted free agent was what he said about his expected role — more specifically the opportunity to compete for a starting job.

“They said there would definitely be opportunities at the line," Feeney said during a Zoom session. "So that’s what kind of made me jump at the offer. I’m just excited to get there and show my talent, show my worth to the team and then we’ll go from there.”

Feeney does bring a lot of starting experience to Miami, having started 64 of his 96 NFL games, including making every start for the Los Angeles Chargers from 2018-20.

Even better, Feeney has started at guard and center during his NFL career, which began with the Chargers as a third-round pick out of Indiana in 2017 and includes the past two seasons with the Jets.

WHY FEENEY COULD END UP STARTING FOR THE DOLPHINS

Along with his experience, Feeney also has familiarity with the Dolphins scheme.

He never got to play with offensive coordinator Frank Smith with the Chargers because Smith's one season there came in 2021, but he played last season under Jets offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur, who had come over from the San Francisco 49ers.

“I think it’s huge," Feeney said. "Honestly, one of the first times Mike (McDaniel) and I talked on the phone, it was pretty much X’s and O’s, so just having a very similar language is definitely huge. It’s easy to kind of just get into the system and kind of fit in right away, so I think that’ll be good for me. There will always be different languages about some sort of things but kind of having that same offensive mindset and scheme, I think it’ll be an easier transition for me.”

As things stand now, about a month before the start of the 2023 NFL draft, the Dolphins starting offensive line sure does appear set at three of the five positions with left tackle Terron Armstead, center Connor Williams and right guard Robert Hunt.

While Hunt has shown himself more than capable of handling the right tackle spot, and maybe even flourish there, GM Chris Grier said after the 2022 season the Dolphins really are excited about his future at guard.

The leading contenders for the other two spots, left guard and right tackle, are Liam Eichenberg and Austin Jackson because they're both high draft picks (Eichenberg in the second round in 2021 and Jackson in the first in 2020) and both were in the opening-day starting lineup against the New England Patriots last September.

Given the draft investment — and don't forget the Dolphins gave up a future third-round pick to move up in the second round to take Eichenberg in 2021 — it's only natural that the Dolphins would want both players to take a big step forward next season and leave no doubt that they belong in the starting lineup.

But the Dolphins also won't be foolish or stubborn enough to keep either in the lineup if they're being outperformed in practice by a veteran, someone like Feeney, because this is a team with championship aspirations whose moves clearly have signaled they're going for it — big — right now.

Based on the roster as of the morning of March 23, Feeney would seem to stand the best chance of any player to unseat either Eichenberg or Jackson for a starting job.

Now it's up to him to prove he deserves the job.

FEENEY'S FUN SIDE

Of course, it's pretty much all fun and games in March, some three weeks away from the start of the offseason program, and Feeney knows how to do that as well.

In fact, he kind of touched on that in describing his famous mullet.

"Oh yeah, we still got the mullet," Feeney said. "Business in front, party in the back. You got to be able to do both, so I figured I’d show people right away.”

If we're talking parties, we've got address Feeney's famous appearance on the big video screen at a New York Islanders home game accompanied by some Jets teammates — including White — chugging a beer when they were shown.

“I hope the (Florida) Panthers shoot me an invite," he said. "I’d love to go. I love being at hockey games. It’s such a good energy and a good vibe. That energy is just contagious, so I kind of lose myself in a hockey game, clearly, as you guys have seen. That just kind of came about. We were all like, ‘Hey, when we get on the Jumbotron, let’s all chug a beer together.’ I took it a little far, I guess, and started slamming it on my head. I was just trying to have a little fun with it. It was a great time being together with the guys.”

And while on the topic of "being together with the guys," Feeney discussed the Mike White video.

“I definitely thought it was a little shade at first, but it is hilarious," Feeney said. "And I think that is a little bit of me, that personality of just happy to be there, happy to be back with the boys. So it was a hilarious video. Whoever edited that and did that, it was spot on.”