John Jerry could have been the answer for Dolphins guard positions
By Brian Miller
The Miami Dolphins have made some pretty poor decisions with personnel over the years and John Jerry’s departure is no different.
Today, former Miami Dolphins offensive lineman John Jerry signed a free agent contract with the Cincinnati Bengals. The terms of the deal are not known but Jerry will be competing for a roster spot more than a starting job.
Released by the Giants last year, Jerry spent the season out of football until today but he could have been an answer at the troubling guard position for the Dolphins. Had they not wanted him out after a certain “bully-gate” scandal.
Drafted in the 3rd round of the 2010 draft, Jerry started 10 games out of the gate and while he wasn’t great he was developing. He spent four seasons with the Dolphins and started every game from 2012 to 2013. He started only three games in 2011.
After the 2013 season, however, Jerry was allowed to leave as a free agent. The Dolphins opted not to re-sign the offensive guard after the Jonathan Martin fiasco. Jerry was part of the circus. Nowhere near as implicated as Richie Incognito or Mike Pouncey but as the Dolphins eliminated what they could, including the team’s equipment manager and offensive line coach, Jerry was an easy one to let go.
Miami has not had a solid guard since his departure. Or for that matter on the other side after Richie Incognito left. It is funny that six years after that mess, both Jerry and Incognito who signed this off-season with the Raiders are still in the league while Martin is long gone.
The Dolphins endured an ugly investigation and Stephen Ross and his executives took action immediately. The investigation did not paint Incognito in a good light but later the mental issues of Martin came to light and we found that he was not a stable person, to begin with.
Jerry would likely be gone from Miami by now had he stayed but there would have been some continuity on the right side of the line and it is possible that his departure came as a result of that investigation. Jerry went to the New York Giants in 2014 where he started all but eight games over his four seasons.