Terron Armstead Expected to Retire

Omar Kelly of the Miami Herald is reporting that Miami Dolphins left tackle, Terron Armstead, is expected to retire.

When talking about LSU Offensive lineman Will Campbell, Kelly said: “Campbell would fit perfectly on Miami’s offensive line playing next to Patrick Paul. With Terron Armstead expected to retire, Campbell would be a great insurance policy if Paul struggles at left tackle.”

In late February, Armstead reworked his contract to give Miami salary cap space. This gave him time to make a decision on his future so Miami wouldn’t cut him before the start of the new league year in early March.

The move created around $14 million in salary cap space for the Dolphins, putting the Dolphins well under the salary cap heading into the beginning of free agency.

Armstead joined the Dolphins in 2022 as a free agent. His time in Miami has been complicated; when he is on the field, he plays at a very high level, but he has missed many games.

He played only 13 games in 2022, 10 in 2023, and 15 this past year. He started 15 but left early in 2 of them, so he truly only played 13 games.

That is not enough production to warrant that contract for someone making over $20 million on the salary cap. Not to mention, Miami used a 2nd round draft pick on Patrick Paul last April, and they need to maximize that to get him on the field.

If Armstead retires, Miami will be left with Patrick Paul, Austin Jackson, and Larry Borom as the team’s primary offensive tackles. There has been a lot of chatter and debate if Miami should draft a left tackle in Round 1 of the upcoming draft. If it is a left tackle who can play guard, they could get on the field right away and also provide insurance at left tackle should Patrick Paul fail.

The risk, though, is if the left tackle you select at pick #13 fails at guard, you have possibly wasted the 13th overall pick of the draft if Patrick Paul pans out at left tackle.