Dolphins Eyeing Offensive Guards

The Dolphins are moving on from veteran offensive lineman Branden Albert — and shifting 2016 first-round pick Laremy Tunsil from left guard to left tackle — because the club believes it can find a replacement guard on the cheap, according to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald.Adam Gase (Vertical)

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Albert was scheduled to earn nearly $9MM in 2017, funds Miami will now be able to put towards acquiring a new interior offensive lineman. However, given that part of the Dolphins’ calculation in parting ways with Albert was financial, the team isn’t likely to invest the entirety of that savings into guard reinforcements, per Jackson. Indeed, Miami is instead targeting bargains at the position.

With those parameters in place, high-priced options such as Kevin Zeitler, T.J. Lang, Ronald Leary, and Larry Warford are probably not on Miami’s radar. As such, one player who could make sense for the Dolphins is free agent Patrick Omameh, who played under Miami head coach Adam Gase with Chicago in 2015, writes Jackson. Omameh, 27, graded as the No. 31 guard in the league last season on 454 snaps with Jacksonville, per Pro Football Focus.

While the Dolphins want to secure a free agent to handle one guard spot, Miami is likely to fill the other side with an amalgamation of Kraig Urbik, Anthony Steen, and a draft pick, per Jackson. Veteran Jermon Bushrod, who played more than 1,000 snaps for the Fins last season, is a free agent and may not be retained, though he’s indicated he’d like to continue his career.

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