PITTSBURGH, PA - SEPTEMBER 02: A.J. Davis #21 of the Pittsburgh Panthers celebrates after rushing for a 1 yard touchdown in the second quarter during the game against the Youngstown State Penguins at Heinz Field on September 2, 2017 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin Berl/Getty Images)

Very few Miami Dolphins players are getting less hype than Jaryd Jones-Smith but by the end of the season, no one player may be more important to the team.

The Miami Dolphins fan base may not know the name Jaryd Jones-Smith but they will. He is a sleeper on the Dolphins roster.

Background

After starting at both left and right tackle in 33 games with the Pitt Panthers Jones-Smith went undrafted in the 2018 NFL Draft but was signed as an undrafted college free agent by the Houston Texans on May 11, 2018. After spending all of training camp with the Texans, Jones-Smith was among the final roster cuts made on September 1st.

From there Jones-Smith was signed by the San Antonio Commanders of the now defunct Alliance of American Football (AAF). While there he started 7 of 8 games he played on what was considered one of the best offensive lines in the league. When the AAF folded, the Dolphins wasted little time before signing him on April 9th, 2019.

Why Jones-Smith will be important/worth watching this season?

Any Dolphins fan that has followed the team for the past couple of decades knows that many seasons have been sunk due to poor play along the offensive line. Even in seasons where the Dolphins had five good starters, which was rare in itself, the offensive line often fell apart when an injury hit. That is when Jones-Smith will show his true value.

Current starting left tackle Laremy Tunsil has been pretty durable but the fact still remains that he hasn’t played 16 games in a season yet in his career. What happened in the little time he DID miss? One just has to look back at the 4th quarter of the Bengals game last year for the answer to that question. (For those that don’t know what happened, QB Ryan Tannehill was repeatedly crushed from his blindside and had both an interception and a fumble returned for touchdowns.) Judging by his tape and size, 6’7″ and 345lbs, I don’t see that being an issue if Jones-Smith has to come in as a replacement.

As for right tackle? It’s odd that he hasn’t even really been talked about in the battle for the starting job. While the Dolphins seem happy to enter training camp with Jesse Davis, Jordan Mills and rookie Isiah Prince battling it out for the spot, the performance of those three has been spotty at best. Let’s hope that Jones-Smith gets a look at right tackle in training camp.

Whether it’s as a key backup at left tackle or possibly winning the starting job on the right side, before the season is out I have a feeling that fans will know the name Jaryd Jones-Smith.