Saints Free Agency: PFF predicts that Terron Armstead signs with Dolphins
Saints free agency will officially get underway in less than a month and one of the biggest names from the New Orleans Saints expected to hit free agency is left tackle, Terron Armstead. NOLA selected Armstead in the third round of the 2013 NFL Draft and he’s remained with the black and gold ever since.
It definitely feels as though Armstead won’t be back with New Orleans in the 2022 season. It’s not because he’s performing poorly but rather that the guy can’t stay healthy. He’s never appeared in every single regular-season game during his near-decade-long career and with how much teams are willing to spend on a franchise left tackle, NOLA needs to let someone else overpay on Armstead.
Well, according to Arjun Menon of Pro Football Focus, the Dolphins are going to be that someone. Menon has Miami shelling out $60 million for Armstead and giving him a three-year deal. He’d be gifted $43.75 million in guaranteed money.
"Armstead has been the definition of consistent since joining the Saints, as he has received a grade below 75.0 outside of his rookie campaign and consistently ranks among the league’s best in pass-blocking prowess. Unfortunately, given New Orleans’s cap situation, Armstead might be too expensive to bring back even when cap wizard Khai Harley works his magic to bring the Saints back under the cap.The Dolphins had a historically bad offensive line last season. Protecting Tua Tagovailoa should be their No. 1 priority this offseason, and Armstead’s presence would certainly help facilitate that. The Dolphins have the most effective cap space in the league entering free agency, so they can get into and win a bidding war if need be."
Saints Free Agency: Terron Armstead to the Dolphins?
I wouldn’t be surprised to see Armstead go to the Dolphins even though I ultimately think the Bengals will pull out all the stops to sign him.
Miami is a team with a young quarterback and their offensive line was dreadful last year. They put some resources into improving the o-line but it wasn’t enough. If they want Tua Tagovailoa to be better, giving him a better offensive line is a must.
If New Orleans loses Armstead, they’ll be tasked with finding a new franchise left tackle, something that isn’t easy to do.
They drafted Landon Young late in the 2021 NFL Draft but it’s doubtful he’s the answer. They could hit free agency to find someone to fill Armstead’s shoes but that’d be tricky. The draft might be their best option but with quarterback and wide receiver being arguably better needs, they might not be able to find a true starting left tackle option after the first few rounds.
"Every Saints player slated to hit free agency in 2022 offseason"
New Orleans has made their offensive line a priority in recent years but they have their work cut out for them in trying to protect whoever is under center in 2022 and beyond. If Armstead leaves, it’ll only become even trickier.