Official: Miami Dolphins in talks with Armstead, Collins “put on hold”

The Miami Dolphins are in talks with Left Tackle Terron Armstead, and are “putting [La’el] Collins pursuit on hold” per Miami Herald’s Barry Jackson.

The Miami Dolphins have yet to make a big move at the tackle position but it seems like they are finally making a strong push for Terron Armstead according to Barry Jackson’s latest report. La’el Collins being put “on hold” definitely paints the picture that the Dolphins are going all in on Armstead.

If the Miami Dolphins are successful in signing the star Left Tackle, then Liam Eichenberg can be moved to the bench or Guard. And Miami’s offensive line would be getting a huge upgrade. Eichenberg had a whopping 10 penalties, and 9 Sacks  as well as a 50.8 grade during his 2021 rookie season according to PFF.

Terron Armstead by the numbers, 2021:

• 468 Snaps
• 3 Penalties
• 1 Sack allowed
• 75.9 Overall grade

I’m not going to sit here and sugar coat it, Terron Armstead’s injury history is very concerning but it’s a risk Miami has to be willing to take. Armstead’s price tag is north of $20 Million dollars, if injured could be a disaster signing. But if healthy Armstead is nothing short of a home run signing.

Elite talent with a steep price and some risk, or Liam Eichenberg letting the QB get absolutely murdered again in 2022. Pick your poison.

No, drafting an upgrade is not adoption for a team that fails to develop that position group as much as Miami does.

Terron Armstead by the numbers, 2020:

• 857 Snaps
• 4 Penalties
• 3 Sacks Allowed
• 86.3 Overall grade

Stats provided by pff.com

Why are the Dolphins focusing on Left Tackle over Jesse Davis’ replacement?

It’s no question that Jesse Davis was a safety hazard at best during the 2021 season, he was rated as the worst starting Right Tackle in Pro Football according to PFF. Davis was also responsible for blocking QB Tua Tagovailoa’s blindside, given the level of responsibility signing La’el Collins seems like the obvious answer.

The Dolphins might have different plans:

During the Dolphins OL horrifying 2021 season one hidden gem within all the chaos was RG Robert Hunt, Hunt consistently held his own and made highlight worthy plays even though he was part of the #32 ranked OL in the NFL.

Robert Hunt was the starting RT for most of his rookie season and competed with Jesse Davis, for a rookie Hunt put up very respectable numbers. Seeing his growth in 2021 could have leaned HC Mike McDaniel to the possibility of moving Hunt back to RT.

Robert Hunt by the numbers, 2020 RT Stats:

• 722 Offensive Snaps
• 8 Penalties
• 3 Sacks allowed.
• 65.8 Overall grade.

Stats provided by pff.com

In 2021 Jesse Davis gave up 8 Sacks and had a overall grade of 52.5 according to PFF, so I can see how McDaniel saw Hunt’s tape and numbers, and decided he could use him as a building block at RT.

Robert Hunt could work, but he’s not close to being La’el Collins:

Yes, La’el Collins has some disciplinary issues that got him suspended in 2021, but everyone makes mistakes and this is a one time offense. Some Dolphins fans believe Collins disciplinary issues and being cut by the Cowboys justify not giving him a good deal or even pursuing him. That’s flat out wrong.

There is no moral ground that weighs more than talent in the NFL, that’s facts. And if you disagree you can look back at history starting with Deshaun Watson’s $230 Million dollar deal with the Cleveland Browns.

Kareem Hunt? Tyreek Hill? go back further to Michael Vick. The list goes on. Morals never outweigh talent in the NFL, unless your talent can no longer outweigh your morals. Ray Rice also had a very graphic incident that actually kicked him out of the league, deservingly so. But it only happened because his talent was no longer worth the baggage.

Sorry to take such a dark and morbid turn, but it’s the sad truth.

La’el Collins tried to bribe a PED test, incomprehensibly stupid to try and bribe the drug test collector when everything you do gets documented. But it’s a one time mistake, a dumb one, and a harmless one compared to the uncomfortable cases I just mentioned.

So when fans say discipline violations justify the Dolphins not being aggressive for Collins, they’re wrong.

HC Mike McDaniel and the Dolphins are taking a gamble by possibly moving Robert Hunt back to RT, the odds are alright but no where close to what La’el Collins brings to the table.

La’el Collins by the numbers, 2021:

• 671 Snaps played.
• 8 Penalties.
• 2 Sacks.
• 82.0 Overall grade.

Stats provided by pff.com

Similar numbers except for grade and that’s because grade also counts involvement in the run game, and pass blocking stats besides sacks. I know fans will mention sacks, and penalties being similar as a way to justify not being aggressive for Collins and settling for Hunt, but the grade difference is glaring for a reason.

Again that doesn’t mean settling for Hunt is a horrible move, but it definitely isn’t a good one compared to going big for a proven talent. Especially when that Talent is protecting the QB’s blindside.

Mike McDaniel is betting on potential growth with Hunt if he moves him back to RT, could be seen as a genius move, or neglectful in the future. No in between.

The Dolphins focusing strictly on Terron Armstead is good, but putting La’el Collins “on hold” is risky.

Listen I’ve been to job interviews before, you’ve been to job interviews before, La’el Collins was just at an interview with the Bengals. If you’re job searching and out of 2 jobs you want, one of them tells you they’re going to put you “on hold”, and the other one brings you in for an office visit. What are you most likely to do?

I know, that’s all of us. La’el Collins could be thinking the same thing because he’s human too. And if he didn’t want to come to Miami in the first place then this pretty much seals his decision. However, I hope I’m wrong.

The Dolphins are going all in on Terron Armstead by the looks of it, and I really hope they land him because Miami’s OL is currently on life support. But they’re not the only team interested enough to throw a kitchen sink offer, Armstead has plenty of options.

There’s no blow that would hurt more than one in which Miami fails to land Armstead, and Collins loses interest in coming to Miami for being seen as a backup plan. Professional athletes are some of the most physically strong and dominating humans on earth, but they’re also very sensitive.

I think this week’s past transgressions as well as many that have come before remind us how human all of these guys are. But again I hope I’m wrong and Collins understands it’s all business if he suddenly becomes the priority.

Miami has the means to land Armstead, and in a perfect world Dolphins fans would love to land Armstead or Collins. I hope that’s the case, if they land Armstead Miami’s free agency is a success. But if Miami fails to sign Armstead or Collins then Free-Agency could be seen as a Massive failure for the Dolphins.

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