Jamil Douglas Is the Right Choice as the Miami Dolphins' Starting Right Guard

It took 18 months for the Miami Dolphins to get from 20 percent of a starting offensive line up to 100 percent, but none of that matters now. The only thing that matters is whether the group they've assembled can do the job that Dolphins offensive lines have been struggling to do for the past two regular seasons: protect quarterback Ryan Tannehill.

The bulk of the focus in 2014 was finding new offensive tackles. The Dolphins successfully accomplished that goal by bringing in free agent Branden Albert and selecting Ja'Wuan James in the first round of the 2014 NFL draft. In 2015, the focus shifted to the inside, where the Dolphins were in need of answers at guard.

Position	Player	Experience
LT	Branden Albert	7
LG	Dallas Thomas	2
C	Mike Pouncey	4
RG	Jamil Douglas	R
RT	Ja'Wuan James	1

There were three men battling for two jobs: Billy Turner, Dallas Thomas and Jamil Douglas went to war for the responsibilities at left guard and right guard. Douglas had been competing with Thomas for the duties at left guard, but in the end, Douglas wound up replacing Turner as the team's starter at right guard.

"I was honored they feel that way about me," Douglas said, via Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. "I know I've got to keep coming out every week and proving myself. If you look at the tape, I've been able to get better every week. That's the main thing I want to show the coaches, that I can keep getting better each week."

Like both Turner and Thomas, Douglas is a tackle-to-guard conversion project, but unlike the other two, Douglas actually enters the NFL as a guard. He played left guard in college, but had played both left guard and right guard in training camp before the team informed him he would be playing right guard in the starting lineup. 

Douglas has always looked like a good fit for the Dolphins' scheme. His scouting report, from NFL.com's Lance Zierlein, reads like a blueprint of a guard in a zone-blocking offensive line, most notably for the following traits:

• "Athletic build with desired flexibility throughout lower body."
• "Flashes promising quick-set that he will use to take early lead in protection."
• "Can pull, turn corner and find targets. Effective blocker in screen game with ability to adjust to moving targets in space."

One troubling line in his scouting report, however, details him as a "left guard-only prospect" due to his "finesse" style of play. 

After spending most of his time at left guard (read: all but half of one preseason game, according to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald), there is some concern as to his ability to transition to the right side. Douglas admits to some turbulence in making that move, but things are becoming easier with more practice and reps.

"I mean, the first time it was difficult, but as I spent a couple weeks in Carolina I got pretty comfortable," he said. "It hasn't been bad at all."

His teammates seem to agree.

"You wouldn't think he's a rookie," said Ja'Wuan James, via Jackson. "He's been on top of everything, searching for help, not one of those quiet guys scared to ask questions. He's ahead of the curve."

Position	Games	QB sacks	QB hits	QB hurries
Tackle	6	7	5	14
Guard	6	0	2	12

That's exactly where he'll have to be if he's going to avoid being the weak link in the line. That being said, even with the starters figured out, there are still questions that linger. 

There's some concern that Thomas may not be suited to start on an NFL offensive line, but that concern is mainly rooted in his performance as a tackle. The Dolphins have always wanted to switch him to the inside, but they've been met with some resistance along the way due to some injuries that have forced Thomas to play tackle instead of guard.

In 2014, though, Thomas performed infinitely better at guard than at tackle. He yielded seven sacks in pass protection on the outside, but none on the inside. 

So, just when the Dolphins thought they had the answers, the questions have changed from "who will be the starters at guard" to "will the starters at guard be good enough to hold it together in the middle of the line?" 

For now, though, the Dolphins can rest easy knowing that they made the right choice for the long-term future of their line.