Ja’Wuan James Consistently Inconsistent?
Ja’Wuan James is as talented as he is inconsistent. Phinsnews has high hopes for the Dolphins 2018 Offensive Line. The O-Line is packed with talent and high pedigree… again. Miami even totally retooled the interior of the line this offseason. In 2018 we’ll finally see at least semi-competent blocking. Right!? Fingers crossed. Unfortunately, like so many seasons prior, the Offensive Line has been clunky early in camp despite all the investment. It’s early and new OL lineups take time to gel, more time than any other unit, so it’s not time to go on suicide watch. Not yet, at least. To be fair, Sitton has had limited action over the last couple of days and Larsen has seen more starts at Left Guard. It makes sense the line has had hiccups.
Overall, this has been the general theme of the Olinemen in camp:
1) Sitton has been good. 2) Kilgore has moved the DT’s occasionally. 3) Davis hasn’t been spectacular but he has been steady. 4) Brendel is injured and been out since Day 2. 5) Tunsil has slowly limited his penalties and picked up his play. 6) Asiata has been hot and cold. 7) Young has been his usual… better than expected. 8) Smith has performed at a lower level than in 2017. 9) Sterup has been nondescript. 10) James has been an uneven performer and is now dinged up. The O-Line had one of it’s better days today. That’s good news. The bad news is that this performance was without Ja’Wuan James who sat on the sidelines holding his helmet watching for the entire practice with a muscle strain. This isn’t good however you slice it. James’ most consistent trait has been his inconsistency… and that’s a big problem. Despite Young being a solid fill-in at Right Tackle, Miami has nearly 5% of its cap invested in James. Even if he heals fast, you have to wonder: Will it linger? Are other injuries coming?
Consistency on the O-Line is a critical need
While I like Young and he’s an excellent pass blocker, his run blocking leaves a lot to be desired. James can perform at a fairly high level and is one of the better talents on the O-Line. But it’s a good bet with the pay per head reviews that inconsistency and injuries will end up raining on the parade. You can’t blame James for being hurt. I’m sure he wants to be out there more than we fans want him out there. But the reality of his injury history and the likelihood of him missing time has serious implications for the rest of the unit. Will this force Davis to start practicing at RT? Depth at both Tackle spots becomes critical if James goes down again? I like Williams, but neither he nor Sterup gives me a warm fuzzy feeling about playing LT if Tunsil somehow misses time… and neither does Young for that matter. Unless they cross-train Davis, Miami will need to play it safe and keep 4 Tackles. This will have an effect on the roster and Davis’ development. James is without a doubt a critical piece to the puzzle. But even the worst-case scenario, this isn’t a death sentence… but his sighting on the sideline does put serious jeopardy at the door, one way or the other. Muscle strains in the sweltering heat can be notorious. I guess we’ll have to wait and see what tomorrow brings. Go Phins!!!
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