Is It Time to Worry About Miami Dolphins' Guard Spots?

Miami Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill is no stranger to pressure.

Over the past two years, Tannehill has had a defender in his face on 469 of his 1,288 dropbacks (36.4 percent). That's more than once every three times he's dropped back to throw. 

At least he'll be ready if he has to face a lot of pressure for a third straight year in 2015. Of course, the Dolphins hope to keep defensive linemen, linebackers and blitzing cornerbacks and safeties as far away from Tannehill as possible.

There's no concern about offensive tackles Branden Albert (if healthy) and Ja'Wuan James, and there's even less concern about center Mike Pouncey. But most Dolphins fans let out an audible sigh if you even mention the two guard spots.

Entering the offseason program, two young tackle-to-guard projects sat at the top of the depth chart. Dallas Thomas (third year) and Billy Turner (second year) have been trying to make the switch from the outside of the line, working in space, to the inside of the line, working in a phone booth. 

Early reports out of camp indicate that defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh has been putting Turner on roller skates (and other linemen, too) rep after rep. Couple that with a shoulder injury that has kept Thomas out of practice for the past couple of days, and the concern has been growing even more.

But it's not time to push the panic button just yet. For one thing, the Dolphins have a viable replacement for Thomas if his injury ends up being significant. In fact, rookie Jamil Douglas has begun setting himself apart from the pack as the best left guard on the roster.

According to a slew of tweets coming out of practice, Douglas has been one of the team's starting guards with Thomas out of action for about a week now. 

At the very least, Douglas is one of the three guards who has stepped in and caught the eye of offensive coordinator Bill Lazor:

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Well, I think it's pretty clear that three guys are competing right now at a high level. I think Dallas Thomas is a much-improved player from what we saw last year. Again, we were talking about staying in one position. That's one thing Dallas wasn't able to do last year, but I think it's showing us he's in one spot right now. I think he's playing well.

I think Jamil Douglas has impressed as a rookie. I think Billy Turner has come a long, long way from what he was as rookie last year. You talk about a guy who was injured in camp and missed some preseason games and I think that probably set him back. As a football coach you want every protection to be perfect, but when you go up, get a shower, eat lunch and as you watch the film, it's also kind of fun to watch them. Watch the three of those guys go through and battle for those spots.

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It may be fun to watch in the film room, but it's not much fun for Turner, Thomas and Douglas, who have to face off with the likes of Suh, Earl Mitchell, Jordan Phillips and C.J. Mosley every day. 

The struggles of the guards are understandable, given the level of competition they've been competing against this summer. And even with the struggles, they still haven't lost the confidence of their leader.

Tannehill said of the starting guard spots:

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I'm not sure who's going to end up being in that spot. But those guys are competing and they're facing one of the best, if not the best d-tackle in the league. It's not always going to be pretty no matter who's up there. You could have an All-Pro guy out there coming against Suh and it's going to be a battle. I don't expect those guys to be able to lock Suh down each and every play, but they're competing and they're getting better and that's what you want to see.

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That being said, while the Dolphins' offensive lines have not been very competitive over the past few seasons, you could argue that those units have competed without getting the desired results. 

Tannehill has shown that he can compete, even when his line isn't. 

Unless otherwise noted, all quotes obtained via team news release; all advanced statistics provided by Pro Football Focus.