The Miami Dolphins reportedly are pursuing free agent offensive tackle Terron Armstead in hopes of luring him away from a return to the New Orleans Saints.
According to the Miami Herald’s Barry Jackson, the Dolphins’ pursuit of Armstead has led to them putting any pursuit of former Dallas Cowboys offensive tackle La’el Collins on hold.
2 NFL people I trust have insisted to me the Dolphins are pursuing Terron Armstead, putting Collins pursuit on hold. If they can get Armstead to leave Saints, they could play Liam or Hunt at RT. Or pivot back to La'el if he's available. https://t.co/384eLphsG2
— Barry Jackson (@flasportsbuzz) March 20, 2022
Armstead is the biggest name available on the free agent market at tackle, an area of weakness that the Dolphins need to address before the 2022 regular season begins.
When healthy, Armstead is one of the better tackles in the NFL, but he was limited to just eight games last season. Armstead has never appeared in every game in an NFL season, and he has appeared in 10 or less games in four of the last six seasons.
Collins, who was cut by the Cowboys to open up some cap space, reportedly doesn’t have a visit planned with the Dolphins at this time. However, he could be back on the table if the team strikes out on Armstead.
Miami’s offensive line allowed 40 sacks in the 2021 season, and former first-round pick Austin Jackson has struggled so much that the team decided to move him inside to guard. The Dolphins currently have Jesse Davis and Liam Eichenberg as their starting tackles.
Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel certainly would love for the team to acquire either Armstead or Collins in order to help protect quarterback Tua Tagovailoa during his third NFL season.
It seems like Armstead, a three-time Pro Bowler, will need to make a decision on his future before the Dolphins decide to pursue any alternative route this offseason.
