I thought Armando's article made some sense and yes as of right now, I am very concerned about the offensive line. If no more FA's get signed they cannot afford to miss period in the draft or else we will once again watch Tannehill on his back.
The Dolphins’ 2013 offensive line was the worst and most disastrous unit ever fielded in team history. That’s saying a lot because Miami was once an expansion franchise and the latter day offensive line problems date back nearly a decade.
And yet after starting fast and strong, signing Albert about three seconds after agreements were allowed, the Dolphins seemingly stopped to consider value and as a result have not fixed their most outstanding problem.
The team liked Denver guard Zane Beadles. But whereas the Dolphins were seeking a value contract for the player, the more eager (and desperate) Jacksonville Jaguars swooped in and signed Beadles for $6 million per season.
That’s a lot of money. It’s right tackle money. But that was the Beadles market and the Dolphins didn’t see value in it. So the Jaguars filled their need with a very good player whereas the Dolphins chased but didn’t catch the prize.
The Dolphins instead shopped for value at guard by getting project player and sometimes Rams starter Shelley Smith for $5.5 million over two years ($2.75 million-per-year average). He might be good. He might not. He offers no certainty.
Meanwhile, Geoff Schwartz ($4.2 million average) definitely will be a starting guard for the Giants and Jon Asamoah ($4.5 million) definitely will be a starting guard for the Falcons.
Miami also has not addressed the right tackle position. Austin Howard got $6 million per year from the Raiders to play right tackle.
Miami’s inability to land a right tackle forced Hickey to plead with New Orleans tackle Zach Strief to visit the Dolphins as a lead-up to a contract. Strief is 30 years old and doesn’t have a contract. He wants to return to the Saints but they have limited salary-cap space now.
Strief declined the invite anyway.
Me? I would have paid — and, yes, overpaid — for Beadles and Howard to go along with Albert. The left side of my line would today be very expensive but also be set for the next half-decade while center Mike Pouncey and Howard at right tackle could insulate a coming rookie at right guard.
I saw the Dolphins give up a league-high 58 sacks and last season. I saw precious few holes for the running game. I would have fixed that line by signing the three best available free agents the first week of free agency before other teams scooped them up.
And I would have gladly paid for it.
But that’s not the Miami way. The Dolphins didn’t want to overspend. They wanted value.
So now Hickey either has to spend two draft picks — for a guard and right tackle — or find a stopgap player such as Tyson Clabo, Eric Winston or someone of that ilk to play right tackle. If the GM invests a draft pick on a right tackle, it probably would have to be an early pick (rounds 1-3) because not many right tackles drafted in the fourth through seventh rounds are good enough fast enough to start as rookies.
So how’s that value strategy looking through that prism?
Read more here:
http://www.miamiherald.com/2014/03/16/3 ... rylink=cpy