The Miami Dolphins are not comfortable with their offensive line right now. How could they be, considering that 2nd year tackle Jonathan Martin is penciled in at left tackle and journeyman Nate Garner is penciled in a right tackle. The Dolphins KNOW they need to upgrade their offensive line, otherwise the other, more flashy moves made this offseason, won’t matter one bit. If Ryan Tannehill is running for his life, he’s not going to have time to find Mike Wallace streaking towards the end zone….or Brian Hartline deep in the opposing secondary. For this reason, the Dolphins are looking at a variety of options to improve their offensive line.
Photo Courtesy of Jeffrey Beall via Wikipedia.org
That brings us to the latest development of this Dolphins’ offseason. Yesterday, news began to swirl about the Dolphins and Chiefs working on a trade for recently ‘franchised’ left tackle, Branden Albert. League sources have told a variety of reporters that there have been ‘extensive talks’ between the two clubs. Then, this morning we received word from the National Football Post, that the Dolphins might be giving Albert a physical in the coming days. John Clayton of ESPN confirmed that the Dolphins are the only team the Chiefs have given permission to, to speak with Albert. At face value, this sounds like the deal is moving forward. However, remember that if a trade like this is going to happen, it would probably have to happen before next Thursday/Friday.
Because Albert not only needs to check out physically, but also needs to agree to a longer term contract, the Dolphins will not surrender draft pick compensation until they know all of those ends are tied up. The Dolphins want to know that Albert is healthy and that they can agree on a longer term contract, before giving up the supposed 2nd round pick the Chiefs are asking for. If those details can’t be worked out, the Dolphins will probably just keep the pick.
Now, the big question is whether or not this is worth it for the Dolphins. The Dolphins just let Jake Long leave because of his injury history, for a 4 year, $34 million deal with the Rams. Would giving up a 2nd round pick for Albert plus, probably paying him more than Jake Long be worth it? Albert was ranked by ProFootballFocus.com as the 25th best offensive tackle in the NFL last season. He is much better in pass protection than in run blocking. But at the same time, he’s athletic, which is something the Dolphins are looking for in their linemen. (continued on page 2, CLICK HERE)
