Dolphins guard Josh Sitton will miss the remainder of the season after suffering a torn rotator cuff against the Titans on Sunday, according to Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald. Miami has officially placed Sitton on injured reserve.
Miami isn’t sure at what point in the game Sutton suffered his shoulder injury, as the veteran offensive lineman may have originally felt a strain before another hit exacerbated the ailment. Once Sitton was told the nature of the injury, he asked if he could play through it for the rest of the year, per Salguero. However, the Dolphins’ medical staff told Sitton he’d be risking further health issues by playing: indeed, the tear could become so severe that surgery wouldn’t even help correct it, making it a career-ender.
Although guard has been a perennial problem in Miami, the Dolphins do have a capable Sitton replacement in veteran guard Ted Larsen. The 31-year-old has been a full-time starter at various points in his career, and offers 111 career games under his belt. Per Salguero, Larsen filed in for Sitton when the latter was sidelined during the summer, so he should have a familiarity with the rest of Miami’s front five.
If Larsen proves to be incapable of taking over for Sitton, however, the Dolphins could choose to look at the free agent guard market. While there are obviously no stars left available, competent options still remain unsigned. Oday Aboushi, John Jerry, Alex Boone, Jonathan Cooper, Luke Joeckel, and Jahri Evans (who’s only played right guard) could potentially interest Miami.
Sitton, 32, joined the Dolphins this spring on a two-year deal after being cut by the Bears. Although minor health issues had been a concern, Sitton was been outstanding in the Windy City. Just last season, Sitton ranked as the the fifth-best guard in the league, per Pro Football Focus, and his marks have remained steady throughout the duration of his career. Despite that production, Chicago opted to decline Sitton’s $8MM option for 2018.
Dolphins curse continues
Was been outstanding in the windy city
Does a misspelled word really matter that much to you?
I did not think signing Sitton made much sense in the first place. Signing quality aging vets onto teams with no chance of contention just never seem like smart investments to me. If they play well you might win half of your games (meaning lower draft pick) if they suck you may have wasted money and possibly delayed the development of players with a future on you team. He is a good player and I wish him a speedy recovery but honestly this was about the best case scenario for the dolphins. I know teams want to put bandaids over position holes if they can but I say embrace the void, tank the season and fill it with a top pick in the draft next year! Maybe then the dolphins can move out of NFL purgatory.
I would have to disagree with you. Having a veteran with his pedigree could provide tremendous value in the locker room and impart work ethic on the younger guys. Not to mention help protect an injury prone tannehill. He isn’t the type of guy that moved the needle, they are still a mess on the o-line. You can’t really tank in the NFL, see the Jets last year. They tried their best to tank and still won a lot of games. Not to mention the current regime doesn’t have the leash to tank, so they are going to try their best to have a respectable team. As long as Mike Tannebum is running the show, mediocrity is the dolphins ceiling
Sitton was considered a locker room cancer in Green Bay. People change, but not very much. Teams that sell their soul for “talent” over character very rarely win. The Dolphins are better off.