Tag Archives: Solomon Kindley

Credit: National Vintage League

Tunsil to Tyreek: Laremy Tunsil Trade Still Pays Off for the Miami Dolphins

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Photoshop of a Laremy Tunsil statue outside of Dolphins' stadium in honor of the trade to Houston
Mandatory Credit: National Vintage League @NVLTweets

September 1st 2019. A date to remember for Dolphins fans. A date that signaled the start of another Dolphins rebuild that has today culminated in Miami trading for Tyreek Hill. In fact it is hard to remember what players have actually come about through this trade, due to Chris Grier’s ability to commit daylight robbery on the rest of the NFL. This article will trace all of the moves and trades that have come about through by the Laremy Tunsil trade.

Noah Igbinoghene 2020 Round 1 Pick 30

While the Laremy Tunsil trade and all that followed has undoubtedly been the best thing to happen to Miami for a very long period of time, it didn’t exactly start off well. Noah Igbinoghene has been underwhelming to say the least, hardly seeing the field behind a very strong Dolphins’ secondary.

Noah is an athletic freak, but is far from competing for a starting position in this defense. However, we may be proven wrong.

Solomon Kindley 2020 Round 4 Pick 111 (via GB)

Perhaps it was a trend in 2020 that the Dolphins didn’t necessarily have the best draft. Solomon Kindley was a starter throughout his rookie season switching between right and left guard.

However, Kindley spent much of 2021 watching a historically bad offensive line from the side lines. Kindley started the 2021 season very much on the wrong foot, showing up to training camp overweight and playing with the third string players.

However, all hope for Kindley may not be lost. He is clearly making a big push in his offseason program to bring himself back into contention this season. With the left side of the line now solidified with the introduction of Terron Armstead and Connor Williams, could Kindley go back to right guard and push Robert Hunt to right tackle?

Jaylen Waddle 2021 Round 1 Pick 6

Jaylen Waddle is a bona fide star, nothing more needs to be said. Despite all the moving around in the 2021 NFL Draft, the Dolphins eventually got their guy and more.

PFWA All Rookie Honors, most catches by a player in their rookie season, over 1000 yards receiving and six TDs, Waddle is a sure-fire home run pick.

Waddle was the Dolphins offense in 2021, and will likely feast just as much with a greatly improved Dolphins’ offense system in store for 2022.

Jevon Holland 2021 Round 2 Pick 36

Jevon Holland quickly established himself as an elite talent in the Dolphins’ secondary — and one of the best young defenders in the NFL.

Holland finished his rookie season with 69 tackles, 10 passes defended, three fumble recoveries, 2.5 sacks, two forced fumbles, and two interceptions. Not bad for a rookie. Like Waddle, Holland earned All Rookie honors and is a sure-fire home run pick.

Tyreek Hill Trade

All season, fans were discontent as they saw their 2022 draft pick get worse and worse. Miami traded away their own first round pick in 2022, electing to keep that of the 49ers that they gained when trading from 3 to 12 and then back to 6 in the 2021 NFL Draft to take Waddle.

Today that rhetoric has changed dramatically. Miami has traded the 29th pick, together with other picks, for Tyreek Hill. Yes that’s right, Tyreek Hill.

In his career with the Chiefs the Cheetah produced all over the field. Hill amassed 479 receptions for 6,630 rec yards, 56 rec TD’s, 93 rushes for 719 rushing yards, and six rushing TD’s. Hill also added 100 returns, 1393 return yards and five return TD’s as a primary returner for the Chiefs.

Now of course, there will be some wise crack somewhere that will say that the Dolphins had to give up more than just the pick that they got from the Tunsil trade.

They would be correct. Miami gave up an additional 2nd round pick, two fourth rounders and a 6th rounder. All for a top-10 talent in the NFL.

Tunsil to Tyreek

As if three Pro Bowl-caliber players were not enough, Miami still nearly three years later holds an additional first rounder and third rounder in the 2023 Draft that have come about from the Laremy Tunsil trade.

Chris Grier ought to be applauded for the job that he has done in turning two firsts and a second round pick into the collection of players that he has. All while retaining flexibility for the Dolphins to do as they please in the future. The future looks very bright indeed.

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Miami Dolphins Training Camp Disappointments

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Photo by Mark Brown/Getty Images

The offseason is a little over halfway done. This offseason has been extra important because this was the first real offseason for second year players. Throughout this offseason, the Dolphins as a whole have looked up and down. Some days the offense looks light years ahead of the defense and other days vise versa. Below are some Dolphins who have been disappointments. These Miami Dolphins disappointments are either having a very quiet offseason, or players who just haven’t lived up to our expectations this offseason.

Matt Skura

When Miami signed Skura in the offseason, fans immediately thought he would be the starting center. Although he was the starter week one in camp, shortly after he lost the job to Michael Deiter. Early on in camp there were reports of Skura having bad footwork. To many Dolphin fans this was disappointing to hear. Skura was the Ravens starting center for the past couple years and last season had a shaky year due to injuries. It seems like Skura is not going to be able to bounce back this season with Miami as Deiter seems to have locked up the starting spot.

Skura had early camp struggles

Lynn Bowden Jr.

Bowden had minimal impact in the first preseason game, but this was a nice catch in trafffic.

Bowden is a Miami fan favorite, which is why it hurts to say his camp has been disappointing. After trading for Bowden last season, he became one of Tua’s favorite targets later on. His ability to make people miss and create yards after the catch is what separated him from other Miami receivers. That being said, Bowden has been invisible this camp. During the early stages of camp, we heard nothing about Bowden besides a few bad plays. This made some people think that he was moving down the depth chart. Others thought that the Dolphins could just be hiding Bowden so teams just “forget” about him. In preseason Bowden has been visible so maybe Miami is just hiding him and have plans for him when the season starts.

Solomon Kindley

Last season Kindley was one of Miam’s starting offensive lineman. This offseason, Kindley started with the third team. This shocked a ton of people especially because Miami did not focus on guard in the draft or free agency. People speculated that Kindley was over weight or out of shape but nothing has been confirmed. Kindley did work his way back up to the starting lineup. During camp, Kindley has not been blown off the line and has not looked like himself. He has shown flashes but it seems like his starting spot is not guaranteed. His pass blocking has been a big question mark since last year and Kindley has not shown any improvement to that. As the year goes on Kindley’s play and whether he wil remain a starter will be something to look at.

Kindley started camp on the third team and eventually worked his way back up.

Noah Igbinoghene

Iggy’s best play of his career. Stays on the hip of the receiver during the route and gets the pass deflection.

It has been quite the roller coaster for the Miami Dolphins cornerback room this offseason. Xavien Howard held out of OTAs and eventually requested a trade and on top of that had an ankle injury early in camp. This allowed both Nik Needham and Iggy to replace X in the starting lineup. While Iggy has shown flashes in both camp and in the first preseason game, he still looks like a very raw prospect. When Iggy was drafted we all knew it would take time for him to adjust to the NFL, but so far it seems like it may take longer than expected. Needham has solidified himself as the now backup corner behind Byron Jones and X while Iggy is on the outside looking in. I am not saying that Iggy will not develop into a good player, it is just disappointing to see no huge improvements from one year to the next.

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Dolphins’ Offensive Line: Surprises and Change

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Photo courtesy of Mark Brown/ Getty Images

Coming into training camp the Dolphins’ offensive line was all but set in stone. It was presumed that Jackson and Eichenberg would play tackle with Kindley, Skura and Hunt on the interior. However, after one week of camp practice much has changed. Some have used their versatility to change positions along the line, while others have drastically fallen down the depth chart. With the offensive line a key factor in Tua’s development, who is performing and whose stock is tumbling?

The Presumed Starters Before Camp:

Austin Jackson (LT)

The Good:

Throughout the first week of training camp Jackson looked strong and capable. Having detailed some of my concerns regarding Jackson in one of my previous articles, the early days of camp are promising, especially in terms of his run blocking. Such developments are very welcome after Jackson ranked 76th among 83 tackles in run blocking in 2020.

The Bad:

Overall, relative to the rest of the line Jackson is making some of the necessary improvements to build on his game. With run blocking and footwork a big drawback in his game last season, it is encouraging to see that he is beginning to address them. With only a couple of padded practices in the bag I will look to Jackson to continue to improve on these fundamentals.

Solomon Kindley (LG)

The Bad:

Since finishing the season as one of the best run blocking linemen on the roster, no player has had a bigger fall than Solomon Kindley, who as it stands is a mere camp body. Kindley started camp as the starting left guard, however in the week following he has since been demoted to the second team and then to the third team where he remains to this day.

From being a big guy, starting in the NFL and to an extent holding his own, to being knocked down by third team defensive linemen, Kindley is having a horrible training camp

Speculation has been rife across Twitter regarding the reason behind his fall from grace. The answer is nobody actually knows. Despite initial reports about his weight being too high around 340 lb, Kindley stated that conditioning was not an issue and that he reported at the weight that the Dolphins expected.

This is perhaps one of the most disappointing developments of the whole offseason, following what was a fairly solid rookie season. Kindley now has an huge mountain to climb back up the depth chart. With each practice the starting line builds chemistry and cohesion making it harder for Kindley if he can bounce back, to claim his starting job back.

Matt Skura (C)

To the relief of Kindley he is not the only player who has had a difficult camp. All fans were aware that Skura is by no means a polished product, nor would he answer all of the problems at center. Nevertheless, he was deemed by many to be a solid starting center who just needed to address his snapping issues that he endured last season.

The Good:

Throughout camp we have heard no reports of any botched snaps, which will be a relief to many fans and to Skura. In fact it was Deiter who had a couple of wild snaps which thankfully Tua managed to salvage. In addition, he has showed good drive and determination to get up field and make blocks in the second level.

The Bad:

Despite signing in free agency to be the presumed starter, throughout the entire of training camp that job has fallen to Michael Deiter. Skura has spent the majority camp snapping the ball to Jacoby Brissett in the second team. However, Skura has since been demoted to the third team with Cameron Tom taking second team reps since the first day of padded practice.

All hope is not lost on Skura, while Deiter has had a great start to camp firing out of his stances with good explosion, he remains an unknown at center in the NFL. Given the turnover at left guard, I would not be totally surprised to see a report over the next week with Deiter playing left guard where he flourished in his sole appearance in 2020 with Skura back at center if he can bounce back.

Robert Hunt (RG)

The Good:

To make it simple, Robert Hunt has been by far the best member of the Dolphins’ offensive line, although not perfect. Hunt has started as he ended last season, continuing to improve and not afraid to get those “groovy nails” dirty. Hunt has the physical stature and strength to be able to move the biggest of players on the interior of the Dolphins’ offensive line where he is predicted to be a potential pro-bowler.

“There’s not really a big difference. I can say there’s some heavier bodies in there. There are some fat guys in there. I haven’t played it in a while, but I’m starting to get used to it. I got a couple reps in the spring and I’ve been getting some this week at guard. It’s going well.”

Robert Hunt when asked about the move inside to guard

The Bad:

As previously mentioned, Hunt has not been perfect and more best of the rest. Although a false start in camp is not too big of an issue, we all know about the takes no talent philosophy that Brian Flores preaches. In addition, there were reports of Hunt being dominated by Sieler during the early days of camp. As with all offensive linemen it is hoped that as camp progresses the Dolphins’ offensive line will be able to overcome the advantage that the defensive line typically have at the start of camp.

Liam Eichenberg (RT)

The Good:

Eichenberg has demonstrated his flexibility and versatility from the outset. Following the rapid decline in Solomon Kindley’s performances Eichenberg has shifted inside to be the starting left guard. Any hopes of Eichenberg being a lock at right tackle are at this point out of the window.

While it is true that it is still extremely early coming into camp, over the course of the next week, Brian Flores and Coach Jeanpierre will want to gain some answers sooner rather than later. Following the move to left guard it has been Jesse Davis who has filled the available slot at right tackle. Furthermore, it does not appear that Eichenberg will move back out to tackle any time soon. With Davis not practicing this week, it was 7th round pick Larnel Coleman who took reps at right tackle. Nevertheless, Eichenberg remains a starter.

With D J Fluker parting ways with the organisation via injury settlement, there are question marks at RT if the team is hit with injuries.

The Bad:

Coming out of the 2021 NFL Draft, Eichenberg was considered an NFL ready prospect. However, as is the case with all rookies there is inevitably some teething problems along the way. So far from what has been reported Eichenberg has given up a would be sack on Tua from Jaelan Phillips. In addition, during one on one drills he was repeatedly bullied by Adam Butler.

Conclusion

In summary, the first week of practice has been very up and down for the Dolphins’ offensive line. Where players struggle for whatever reason, all important roster spots and depth positions are there for the taking. Following week one of camp the starting line is: Jackson (LT), Eichenberg (LG), Deiter (C), Hunt (RG) and Davis (RT). Unfortunately, as fans we are left scratching our heads as to what has happened. We can only hope for clarity going forward. Fins Up!

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Austin Jackson: Allowing Pressure?

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From a historically bad 2019 season, the 2020 Miami Dolphins’ offensive line made considerable strides towards improvement, nevertheless question marks remain. One particular uncertainty is that of the position of Austin Jackson. Despite what can only be regarded as a trying season, having been asked to be the starter from the outset, Jackson appears to have his position locked down heading into 2021, with there being no heir apparent at the position. If this is true, it is Jackson who needs to make the biggest jump in his second year to live up to the expectations of the 18th overall selection.

Coming out of the 2020 draft we knew that Jackson was a very raw prospect. Aged only 20 he was a great athlete with all the physical traits required, but needed to refine his technique to make it in the NFL. Not to mention the obvious challenges that all rookies faced last season, that have been repeated endlessly, it would be unfair to think that those concerns had just gone away and he was NFL ready week one. Contrast this with the analysis of Liam Eichenberg, the Notre Dame, NFL ready tackle who hasn’t allowed a sack in his last 33 games; the positions of the two are very different indeed.

PFF ranked Jackson 78th out of 83 qualifying tackles, a rating is not necessarily a true reflection of his play. Jackson started 13 games, missing three games with a foot injury allowing 4 sacks. In fact 18 tackles allowed more sacks including Andrew Thomas, who the Dolphins were at a point rumored to be trading up for (farcical I know) yielding 10 sacks, whilst Mekhi Becton allowed 7 with the Jets. However, Jackson did allow a further 40 QB pressures, whilst his run blocking was nothing to write home about either, which was ranked 76th among 83 qualifying tackles. Jackson’s performance becomes more open to question following the relatively successful rookie campaigns of Solomon Kindley and Robert Hunt, who were both selected after Jackson. From week 12 onward, Hunt was the fifth best right tackle in the league with a PFF grade of 76.4.

Jackson’s worst performances unsurprisingly coincided with the offenses worst games, the matchup with the Broncos immediately comes to mind. Looking back it is almost painful to watch, as time after time Bradley Chubb dominated the rookie. There were several instances whereby Jackson would be beaten without actually ever getting his hands on the rusher, with Chubb merely running round him untouched. Coming into his second year, Jackson needs to work on his reactions; at times it seems like he focuses too much on where he is supposed to be blocking according to the playbook, rather than anticipating where the pressure is coming from in real time. Whilst all of this may seem like an indictment of Jackson, this is nothing that cannot be resolved with more and more reps. Let us not forget that tackle is one of the toughest positions to play as a rookie in a normal season, it is evident that at present the game is merely moving too quick for Jackson.

There were times throughout the season where it was a benefit that Tua is left handed, meaning that the left side was not his blindside.

Jackson appeared to play his best football when there was not as much space around him, in essence when he had tight ends blocking alongside him, making him more akin to a guard rather than a tackle. However, with Solomon Kindley the favorite to lock down the left guard position, whilst Robert Hunt has also moved from tackle to guard. It is expected that Hunt’s ceiling is much higher playing as a potential pro-bowl guard, so playing Jackson on the interior may not be an option. This is where the versatility instilled within this roster can be extremely beneficial and could potentially be season saving if things dont go to plan. If Jackson continues to struggle, the Dolphins do have the fallback option, if needed to shift Eichenberg to LT and then Hunt/Davis/Fluker or even Eluemunor back out to RT and then play Jackson and Kindley at guard. It is hoped that Jackson’s performances improve so that such contingency options are not required. So what is Jackson doing to improve?

“There’s a lot of new things, new adjustments from college to the pros, but one little thing I try to live by is I try not to make the same mistake twice. So whenever I come into a situation, make sure I do what I’ve got to do to get past it and get better, and make sure I’m getting better every single day.

The game slows down the longer you play. I think the first year, you learn a lot. The second year, you kind of handle more. So I would say I would expect to get a lot better next year, and then the year after that and then the year after that.”

Austin Jackson

Austin Jackson has been working on all aspects of his play throughout the offseason. One particular point of emphasis he states is in his knee bend and being able to get lower giving him more flexibility. Coming into his second year he acknowledges that he has seen strides in his development as a result of having a years playing experience under his belt. With the knowledge he has learnt from a trying rookie season, he is using that to put into his training, whilst refining his approach and technique to be consistent in his performances week in week out.

Whilst this tweet may not have aged well since Jackson was drafted, it is hoped that Jackson will be able to assert more dominance in his matchups in 2021 like he did for the Trojans.

Conclusion

While it may be Tua the highlighted player in the national media as being the Dolphins player under the most pressure to perform, it is the development and performance of Austin Jackson that will be just as vital to this offense. 2020 was not a disaster of a season for Jackson, but was very much below par of the 18th overall selection and pressure is mounting to show a quick improvement. Once again this article is by no means an indictment on Jackson or a call to move on. There is no doubt about it he is a stand out guy, an excellent character off the field and most importantly a team guy. He has everything Brian Flores and Chris Grier could want off the field, the question is can he dominate on it? Over the past three drafts whilst Brian Flores has been at the helm, the Dolphins have drafted 7 offensive linemen, signing 4 free agents this season alone on the line. Flores and Grier seem like men possessed to fix the holes within the line. Be in no doubt, Jackson will be under the microscope this season to improve, or risk looking over his shoulder next offseason for the next experiment on the line. Fins Up!

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