Injuries cost teams games in the NFL and one of the Miami Dolphins' most underrated and, yes, under-reported injuries of 2015 definitely had that effect.

Offensive right tackle Ja'Wuan James went down on October 29 with a toe injury that was not the big news of the day because in that very game, defensive end Cameron Wake ruptured his Achilles tendon and receiver DeVante Parker aggravated a foot injury on the same foot that had undergone surgery twice, including last summer.

So James kind of fell through the cracks.

Well, let me fill in some of the gaps ...

Firstly, the James injury was a dislocated big toe. There had been speculation, including some by me, that it was a turf toe. It was much more serious, obviously. It was so serious that James did not play the rest of the season, missing the final nine games, just as Wake did not.

The injury was a concern for the Dolphins because team doctors couldn't get a real handle on how long it would take to heal. They said it could be as little as four weeks. They said it could be as much as eight weeks. That is a huge gap between best and worst-case scenario. And even then, it took longer than the doctors expected because even as James started walking again and got some practice near the end of the season, he was never quite right.

He was never good enough to get in a game.

I'm told he is well now. The injury is fine now.

But the damage was done. Because James could not play, the Dolphins were forced to go with Jason Fox as their right tackle the final nine games. Fox, a good man, was not up to the task. He struggled in pass protection, giving up a handful of sacks. He was cut this offseason. And the Dolphins have worked hard to improve the offensive line depth behind starters like James because the line has been hit hard by injuries in recent years. All you need to know is Mike Pouncey has missed games each of the past two years and left tackle Branden Albert missed much of the 2014 season after suffering a career threatening knee injury.

The Dolphins this offseason signed tackles Sam Young to compete for the No. 3 tackle job Fox held last year. The team added Kraig Urbik for depth at guard and center. And Jermon Bushrod was added to compete at guard and possibly backup at tackle in a pinch.

The Dolphins offensive line depth has gotten better this offseason.

But the team hopes it won't need that depth.

And an important part of that hope is having James pick up where he left off his rookie season in 2014 and early in 2015. The team needs James to be the stabilizing force he has been while also improving his base and core strength. That's the goal.

A now-healthy James is a good start toward that goal.