Some say that Jackson started out okay last year, but he got hurt and missed nearly the whole season. I understand that injuries happen, but Miami needs o-linemen that can play well AND stay on the field. Armstead can't stay on the field, but he has proven that he can play well when he is on the field. However, Jackson has yet to prove that he can play well for longer than a few snaps here and there.
So, what is Plan B? IMO, Grier doesn't have a Plan B, and I don't think he even cares. Why do I say this? Because when he signed Armstead last year, he knew that Terron had a history of missing games due to injuries, but he didn't bother to make sure that he had a COMPETENT LT to replace him when he was out. And, we all saw how bad the line was when Armstead was missing. What was even worse was that although it was bad enough that he failed to get a decent back-up for Armstead, he didn't even bother upgrading the RT position, which makes no sense considering that they have a left-handed QB. IOW, Grier spent money on a LT with a history of missing games when he should have signed a good RT to protect Tua's blindside. Then, he ignored getting a decent back-up for Armstead and signed a bunch of nobodies to back-up Jackson at RT.
Others may blame poor coaching for the o-line, but I put 100% of the blame on Grier. Why? We've all seen how the line has performed below average ever since Philbin was hired, and it continued under Gase. When Flores took over for 2019, Grier gutted the roster in order to rebuild. Between the 2020 and 2021 drafts, Grier had a total of ten 1st and 2nd round picks, plus later picks, along with a ton of space under the salary cap. So, with a huge number of resources available over a two year period, what did Grier do to put together an NFL caliber o-line to protect his young franchise QB? At the end of the 2021 season, Miami had the worst o-line in the league, and it was historically bad. That, IMO, proves that either Grier didn't care about the o-line, or he is inept when it comes to evaluating linemen and building a competent o-line. Now, for 2023, Miami still doesn't have a proven LT to fill in for Armstead, and they're still relying on Jackson to become a competent RT. Yet again, Grier is gambling that Armstead will stay healthy, Jackson will stay healthy AND improve a lot, and Eichenberg is STILL in the mix for the starting LG spot... WTF! While Grier has done some good things, Ross needs to hire someone else from outside to scout, evaluate, and build the o-line.
