Pro Bowl left tackle Terron Armstead is leaving the New Orleans Saints after an illustrious nine seasons down by the Bayou. Armstead has agreed to join the Dolphins on a 5-year contract in free agency.
Terron Armstead signs with Dolphins
Armstead agreed to a 5-year deal worth $87.5 million with the Dolphins, according to Pro Football Network’s Aaron Wilson. Armstead is a top-three left tackle in the NFL when healthy. However, the Dolphins must have a viable backup option for when he isn’t. But we’ll get into that later.
Armstead, 30, has only ever played for the Saints. He is one of the most impressive physical specimens in the entire league and can do things at the tackle position that only the gifted few could even dream of.
The good and bad with Terron Armstead
We should swing back to the injury thing first. Since 2016, Armstead’s games played are as followed: 7, 10, 10, 15, 14, and 8. The best ability is being an expert in your craft. However, the second-best ability is availability, and Armstead struggles mightily there.
But back to the good stuff! Armstead put on one of the best NFL Combines of all-time coming out of Arkansas Pine Bluff. He ran a 4.71 at 306 pounds, with the projected speed at which he finished coming in at 21.1.
I can’t imagine many more terrifying sights than a 300+ pound human running 20 mph at me. If he can stay healthy for 14+ games, Armstead will be an All-Pro candidate. That hope is worth a lot of money, even with ample evidence that remaining that healthy is a tough ask.
What left tackles are left on the market?
Another reason the market for Armstead was so hot is that the free agent market is bare. The only other viable left tackle options are 36-year-old Duane Brown and 40-year-old Jason Peters.
After the franchise tag deadline, Armstead was the sixth-ranked free agent left on the market.