Miami Dolphins best left tackles over the last twenty years
By Brian Miller
There has not been a lot of good things for the Miami Dolphins in terms of their offensive line all these years but some have stood out.
Someday maybe we will look back on Laremy Tunsil and say his name in the same sentence as Richmond Webb who should be in the Hall of Fame. For now, we can just say that Tunsil is becoming everything we need in a left tackle.
As we look at the best three left tackles since 2000, we may as well start with Tunsil.
Laremy Tunsil
The best thing that may have ever happened to the Miami Dolphins was a released video mere minutes prior to the 2016 NFL Draft with Laremy Tunsil smoking pot. The video fallout pushed the nations top offensive lineman from a sure-fire number one overall pick to a 13th overall selection that Miami wasted no time drafting.
Tunsil’s first season was at guard but he shifted outside a year later to his natural position and hasn’t looked back. Tunsil is turning in Pro Bowl type seasons and should be recognized soon for his play.
It is hard to put Long on this list given his consistent injury history with the team but when he was healthy, he was everything the Dolphins could have hoped for at the left tackle position. Long was aggressive off the line and was equally dominating in pass protection and run blocking. His ability to set the edge and keep defenders away was paramount to the success of the offensive line.
Unfortunately, Long’s back had other ideas. After making the Pro Bowl his first four seasons, Long would not return for a fifth as his back began to be too problematic. He bounced around the league a few more seasons after leaving Miami in 2013 and called it a career after a nine-year career that really ended after seven.
Albert spent only three seasons with the Miami Dolphins but it was enough to earn him one of the three spots on this list because frankly, the Dolphins haven’t had much luck outside of these three, not with consistency. In his 2nd season with the Dolphins, Albert made the Pro Bowl. He spent his first six seasons with the Chiefs. After nine years in the NFL and three in Miami, the Dolphins traded Albert to the Jaguars for a conditional 7th round draft pick. Albert left the Jaguars camp and retired.