Getty Greg Van Roten against the Kansas City Chiefs.
The Miami Dolphins offensive line dealt with injuries in 2023, losing Terron Armstead, Isaiah Wynn, Connor Williams, Robert Hunt, and others all due to injury at some point in the season. The Dolphins lost a key offensive lineman in Robert Hunt to the Carolina Panthers and Matt Holder of Bleacher Report found a replacement for them.
In his April 7 article about one free agent on the market who can help each team, Holder lists Greg Van Roten as the player for the Dolphins. Van Roten spent the 2023 season with the Las Vegas Raiders and started all 17 games.
“With Robert Hunt now in Carolina, Miami could use a new starting right guard. Robert Jones is currently slated for that spot but has limited experience heading into his fourth season.
“Meanwhile, Van Roten is coming off of a career year where he earned a 77.4 pass-blocking grade from Pro Football Focus which is significant seeing as that’s Tua Tagovailoa’s blind side.”
How Van Roten Would Help the Dolphins
The 34-year-old started his career with the Green Bay Packers, starting his career in 2012. Van Roten, however, was out of the league from 2014-2016.
The former Las Vegas Raiders guard played more than he ever has in 2023. He played 1,025 snaps and didn’t get called for one penalty, according to PFF. He allowed five sacks and earned an overall grade of 75.3, above average at his position. He finished as PFF’s fifth-best overall blocking grade out of 54 qualified guards.
Van Roten wasn’t a starter in 2022, playing for the Buffalo Bills. He appeared in 16 games but started in just four of them. In 354 snaps for the Bills, he didn’t allow one snap.
As the Dolphins saw last year with all of the injuries to the offensive line, Van Roten could be needed at some point throughout the season as a depth option. In 18 games last season, the Dolphins used 12 different offensive line combinations.
Dolphins Offensive Line Improvement an Area of Need
The Miami Dolphins’ offensive line was an area of need, according to George Forder of The Phinsider. Forder writes that after struggling on the line, the Dolphins have made it clear how important it is to succeed.
“I would say it’s an unheralded position group, but after a decade of struggling with offensive line play (with the exception of a couple of seasons), Dolphins fans know all too well how critical it can be to success. They took a step forward last season, even while sustaining a lot of injuries, but are now likely to lose two (maybe three) starters to free agency.
“This offense (and Tua Tagovailoa) make things easier on the line by using pre-snap motion and getting the football out quickly, but there is still a baseline they need to reach in order to have success on offense… particularly in the running game.”
Forder adds that the Dolphins don’t need five All-Pros on the line, so landing someone in the second and third tiers makes the most sense.
“With how this offense operates, you don’t necessarily need five all pros on the offensive line to have success. For that reason, and considering Miami’s cap situation, it would make the most sense for the Dolphins to look for 2nd and 3rd tier bargain free agents.”
Van Roten was the 123rd-ranked free agent, according to PFF, so he’s in that second and third tier. He played well for the Las Vegas Raiders in 2023 and stayed healthy, something the Dolphins could use.