The Miami Dolphins’ decision to bring back offensive lineman Liam Eichenberg this week was met with some strong reactions from fans.
Eichenberg, a former second-round pick who has spent his entire career with the Dolphins since coming into the league in 2021, has received plenty of criticism during his Miami tenure.
As such, his new one-year deal with the team wasn’t exactly celebrated by everybody. But in the eyes of the Miami Herald‘s Barry Jackson, Eichenberg won’t be a “major component” of the 2025 Dolphins unless he’s forced into action. He broke it all down with his colleague Omar Kelly.
I know you're disappointed (and maybe angry). But there's a valid reason the #Dolphins re-signed Liam Eichenberg. Allow the @MiamiHerald #Dolphinindepth podcast to explain and discuss. https://t.co/mb3rw9Przi pic.twitter.com/G1PW8n2AuI
— Omar Kelly (@OmarKelly) March 14, 2025
“I understand the reaction, Omar,” Jackson said of the fan response. “I think it’s overstated. I think this will end up being a footnote in the Dolphins’ offseason unless James Daniels is injured early in the year, and Liam is forced into action, or unless Aaron Brewer is injured. I just don’t see him being a major component of this team next year barring injuries.”
During his Dolphins tenure, Eichenberg has appeared in 60 regular-season games and started 52 of them. Last season, he appeared in all 17 games and got 14 starts.
But if he isn’t in line to be a “major component” of the 2025 team, then his one-year deal might indeed just end up being a footnote of the offseason.
Eichenberg figures to compete for a starting spot on the offensive line, but that doesn’t mean he is going to get it.
Miami should know about as well as any team in the league just how important a reliable offensive line is to big-picture success. Fans can only wonder how some Dolphins seasons would have gone with a more stable offensive line.
This franchise in particular has the struggle of needing to protect a quarterback who is injury-prone in Tua Tagovailoa. The health of Tagovailoa has proven to be a crucial ingredient to Miami’s success, so the team needs to do everything it can to keep him upright.
It’s been a busy week for the Dolphins, but there’s still work to do as they try to assemble a team that is capable of flipping the script from last season. Miami has too much talent to miss the playoffs, so there’s some pressure on the team to return to the postseason in the 2025 campaign.
