Miami Dolphins' first-round pick Laremy Tunsil can't break into starting lineup
DAVIE, Fla. – Thought by some to be the best available prospect in the draft, Miami Dolphins offensive lineman Laremy Tunsil apparently will have to wait to start.
In Friday’s preseason opening victory against the Giants, Dallas Thomas played first-team reps ahead of Tunsil at left guard, much like he has throughout training camp.
In Sunday’s practice, that trend continued, as Tunsil played primarily with the backup offense, though he did mix in with the starting unit in the second full team period.
“He’s got a lot to learn,” coach Adam Gase said Sunday of Tunsil in a press conference after practice. “We need him to keep getting better and his thing is that it’s new for him. That inside is a different animal. So, he’s learning. And the thing I love about him is that he works hard.”
The Dolphins are trying Tunsil at guard, after he played left tackle in a standout career at Ole Miss. The expectation is that Tunsil will eventually become Miami’s starter, after the franchise invested its 13th overall selection in the draft to pick him.
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Dolphins fans have been vocal about expressing their disappointment in Thomas receiving starter’s reps over Tunsil, especially on Twitter and other social media outlets.
After Sunday’s practice, Thomas fired back, saying the Internet and the anonymity of social media “gives them (the guts to say things) that they wouldn’t say to your face.”
Thomas, a fourth-year lineman out of Tennessee, started all 16 games last season and battled lapses of inconsistency on a unit that gave up 45 sacks – 24th-worst in the NFL.
When asked about the left guard position, Gase, in his first season as Miami’s head coach, said everyone on the roster would get “a true evaluation” and that the team would make its choice before the first game of the regular season.
“I know everybody is itching to fire everybody and bench everybody,” Gase said. “I understand why everybody is concerned about every little thing, when certain people have a history with guys that have been here in the past, but I said this right when we started this: Everybody has a fresh start with this crew. Anything that happened in the past, it doesn’t matter to me.”
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