Robert Jones earned a spot on the Miami Dolphins’ roster as an undrafted rookie in 2021 and slowly worked his way into a full-time starting role with the team in 2024. Now, with his contract set to expire next month, he’s hoping he won’t be jettisoned in free agency.
“Hopefully, I’m back here in Miami,” Jones told the South Florida Sun-Sentinel in an interview. “I’m just taking it a day at a time. Just focusing on me training right now, enjoying the offseason with my family and not thinking too much. And when the time comes, just got to make the best decision for myself. … I’d love to be back in Miami.”
Jones wasn’t very good in 2024, though.
The fourth-year offensive lineman was credited by PFF with allowing 28 quarterback pressures — one less than Liam Eichenberg’s team-leading 29 — and Jones’ run blocking wasn’t much better.
Miami’s run game plummeted from the NFL’s most efficient in 2023 to 28th in yards per rush attempt in 2024. The team’s pair of starting guards, Jones and Eichenberg, stood out as the weak links.
After the season, Dolphins general manager Chris Grier told reporters that the team is “going to have to invest in the offensive line” this offseason. But with Jones, Eichenberg, and Isaiah Wynn all set to become free agents in March, can Miami afford let all the guards on their depth chart walk?
It’s one thing to hunt for upgrades, but another to start completely from scratch. Re-signing Jones, a presumably cheap veteran to retain, could keep a versatile player familiar with Mike McDaniel’s system on the roster while the Dolphins hunt for new starters.