McIntosh replaces Smith at LT
The turnover of the Miami Dolphins offensive line, a remake of the entire starting unit, is now complete.
Victimized for two sacks in Sunday night's loss at Cincinnati, left tackle Wade Smith was replaced in the lineup at practice on Wednesday afternoon by Damion McIntosh. The move means the Dolphins have now replaced all five starters from the 2003 lineup.
A third-round choice in the 2003 draft, Smith started all 16 games as a rookie, and the expectation was that he would stabilize that key position for many years. But late in the preseason, coach Dave Wannstedt suggested Smith's starting status was in jeopardy, and he lasted only two games into the regular-season schedule before losing his job.
Smith, 24, was apprised of the move on Monday or Tuesday, and it became reality at the Wednesday practice.
Wannstedt did not single out Smith after Sunday's defeat, but emphasized that the entire offensive line required improvement. "Everyone has to take it up a notch," Wannstedt said.
The line is certainly a unit in flux and Smith was the only blocker from 2003 lining up in the same place he did a year ago. The new starting quintet now consists of McIntosh at left tackle, Jeno James at left guard, Seth McKinney at center, right guard Taylor Whitley and John St.Clair at right tackle.
McIntosh, James and St. Clair were all signed as unrestricted free agents this summer. After reaching an accord with McIntosh, who started 37 games in four seasons with San Diego, the Dolphins discovered he needed ankle surgery, and he missed most of camp while recovering from that operation.
"It's been close (to 100 percent) for a few weeks now, and I've been anxious to get back out on the field," McIntosh said. "I'm ready to go."
Miami also used its first-round draft pick in April on former University of Miami offensive lineman Vernon Carey but, to date, he has been a disappointment. The plan was for him to win a job in camp, preferably at right tackle, but he didn't come close to cracking the first-unit line.
The dismantling of the former offensive line began when right tackle Todd Wade left after four seasons as a starter, signing with Houston as a free agent. Miami released center Tim Ruddy and right guard Todd Perry in the spring for salary cap considerations and opted not to re-sign left guard Jamie Nails.
The team's offensive woes, of course, run much deeper than the line, but a cohesive blocking unit would certainly help compensate for other shortcomings. Smith allowed he was disappointed by the decision but conceded his performances in the first two games were not at the level of consistency he achieved last season.
Len Pasquarelli is a senior writer for ESPN.com. To check out Len's chat archive, click here 
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