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Terron Armstead

Dolphins Activate LT Terron Armstead From PUP List

July 31st, 2023 at 3:01pm CST by Adam La Rose

Terron Armstead‘s stint on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list has been short-lived. The Dolphins left tackle was activated on Monday, as noted by a team announcement.

Head coach Mike McDaniel had expressed confidence that Armstead would be cleared to return to practice shortly after arriving at camp, and his activation will be a welcomed sign given his importance to the team’s offensive line. The former Saints mainstay delivered a strong season in 2022, his first with the Dolphins after signing a five-year, $75MM deal with Miami.

Injuries have been a mainstay in Armstead’s career, however, and that continued last season. A pectoral injury was one of many ailments the former third-rounder dealt with, and he was limited to 13 regular season games played. He was able to suit up for Miami’s playoff loss, though, and he earned a fourth career Pro Bowl nod. His health and performance will play a vital role in determining the Dolphins’ ability to repeat their success of last season.

Armstead underwent a cleanup procedure on his knee during the offseason, McDaniel noted. His recovery from that surgery led to his placement on the PUP list last week, and he did not take the field today. Still, his activation means he has been cleared to return, and he will have plenty of practice time in the build-up to his 11th NFL campaign and second in South Beach.

Miami restructured the contracts of many of their highest-paid players this offseason. That included re-working Armstead’s deal, and as a result his 2023 cap hit will be just over $9.2MM. His impact on the team’s capsheet will jump to $20.6MM in each of the three campaigns after that, however, so continued strong play will be vital for team and player for the foreseeable future. In the immediate term, though, the Dolphins’ top lineman is back in place on the blindside.

Minor NFL Transactions: 7/25/23

July 25th, 2023 at 7:43pm CST by Ben Levine

With a number of teams preparing for the start of training camp, a long list of players were placed on inactive lists today. We’ve compiled all of those and today’s other minor moves below:

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Buffalo Bills

Chicago Bears

Cincinnati Bengals

Dallas Cowboys

Denver Broncos

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Las Vegas Raiders

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

Philadelphia Eagles

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Washington Commanders

Free Agents

Isaiah Wilson hasn’t had an NFL gig since he was released by the Giants in January of 2022. NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero tweets that the free agent lineman was slapped with a three-game suspension, but it’s uncertain what led to the temporary ban. Wilson was a first-round pick by the Titans in 2020 but got into only one game with Tennessee before getting shipped off to Miami. He was waived by Miami after showing up late to his team physical, and his practice squad stint with New York only lasted one season.

Max Garcia is an experienced addition to the Saints OL room, with the veteran having most recently started seven of his 12 appearances with the Cardinals in 2022. The 31-year-old has 59 games of starting experience, although Pro Football Focus was iffy on his production last year (63rd among 77 qualifying offensive guards).

Following a three-year stint in Cleveland, Terrance Mitchell has spent the past two seasons bouncing around the NFL. He got into 14 games (13 starts) for the Texans in 2021, finishing with 60 tackles and 10 passes defended. He spent the 2022 season with the Titans, finishing with 39 tackles in 11 games (five starts). 49ers fifth-round pick Darrell Luter Jr. is set to miss some time with a knee injury, providing Mitchell with an opportunity during training camp.

Restructure Details: Armstead, Dolphins, Hill, Chubb, Chargers, WRs, Ravens, Pierce, Panthers, Moton, Jets, Cardinals, Eagles, Vikings

March 10th, 2023 at 9:08am CST by Sam Robinson

Teams have until 3pm CT Wednesday — the start of the 2023 league year — to move under the $224.8MM salary cap. With the legal tampering period beginning at 3pm Monday, teams are working to create cap space for free agency pursuits. Here are the latest maneuvers teams have made on that front:

  • The Dolphins have created more than $43MM in cap space over the past two days, being the runaway leaders on this front this week. They agreed to restructures with Bradley Chubb and Terron Armstead to free up $25MM-plus, per ESPN.com’s Field Yates (Twitter links), but they are also using Tyreek Hill‘s receiver-record contract to create room. Miami created $18MM in space by restructuring Hill’s $30MM-AAV deal, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. Hill was due a $16MM roster bonus; that and most of his 2023 base salary have been shifted into a signing bonus. Chubb’s base salary is now down to $1.1MM in 2023.
  • Rather than trade Keenan Allen to carve out cap space, Chargers GM Tom Telesco firmly opted against that strategy. The Bolts are keeping Allen, and both he and Mike Williams‘ 2024 cap numbers will balloon. The team freed up $14MM-plus in 2023 cap space by restructuring both their $20MM-per-year wide receiver deals, per Yates. While new funds are available for 2023, Williams and Allen are now tied to $32.5MM and $34.7MM cap numbers in 2024 (Twitter links). Neither should be expected to play on those numbers, which will undoubtedly lead to more maneuvers down the road.
  • The Panthers freed up more than $11MM in cap room by restructuring Taylor Moton‘s deal, Joe Person of The Athletic tweets. This marks the second straight year Carolina has adjusted Moton’s contract. A Xavier Woods tweak also added $1.5MM to Carolina’s cap space, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets.
  • Michael Pierce accepted a $2MM pay cut to remain with the Ravens, Pelissero tweets. The move added $2.7MM in funds, Yates tweets. Pierce, who returned to the Ravens in 2022, can earn the money back via incentives. Pierce missed most of last season due to a biceps tear.
  • Pierce’s former team, the Vikings, took the same path with Ross Blacklock. The 2022 trade acquisition accepted a near-$700K slash which he can earn back via incentives, Pelissero adds (on Twitter).
  • D.J. Humphries missed much of the 2022 season, and while the Cardinals have a new regime in place, they are not moving their veteran left tackle. They will use Humphries’ 2022 extension to free up funds, with Pelissero noting (via Twitter) the Cards created $5.3MM in cap space with this restructure. Arizona has moved past $32MM in cap space. More could be coming via a DeAndre Hopkins trade as well.
  • C.J. Uzomah‘s three-year Jets deal became a vehicle for the team to carve out some room. The team freed up $3.6MM in cap space with a recent restructure for the veteran tight end, Pelissero tweets.
  • The Eagles also went to the restructure well Friday, with Yates noting (via Twitter) they are creating $2.5MM in space by adjusting Jake Elliott‘s deal.

AFC Injury Rumors: Bengals, Dolphins, Leonard

January 11th, 2023 at 8:16pm CST by Ely Allen

Cincinnati will host the Ravens in the Wild Card round of the playoffs this weekend, but they will have to do it without two of their starters on the offensive line, according to Mitch Stacy of The Associated Press. Head coach Zac Taylor confirmed that right guard Alex Cappa will join right tackle La’el Collins on the sideline this Sunday night.

Cappa had his ankle rolled over late in the third quarter last week while blocking in the pocket. Initial fears were that the injury would end his season, keeping him out for the entirety of the playoffs, and while Taylor is holding out hope for future games this January, we know that Cappa will not play this weekend.

Cappa joins Collins, who saw his season come to an end after suffering a knee injury in a Week 16 win over the Patriots. Collins has been replaced by Hakeem Adeniji who played in a backup role this season after starting 13 games last year. Adeniji drew criticism for his pass protection in the playoffs last season, when the offensive line drew most of the blame for the team’s loss in Super Bowl LVI.

Cappa will be replaced by backup Max Scharping. After starting 33 games in his first three seasons with the Texans, Scharping was picked up by the Bengals after being waived just prior to the season. The offensive line was a huge weakness last year for a Bengals team that still made it to the Super Bowl. They may have to struggle over that hurdle once again if they want to win it all in February.

Here are a couple other injury rumors from around the AFC, starting with another playoff squad:

  • If the Bengals’ offensive line situation is considered bad, the Dolphins‘ has to be considered downright tragic as the team practiced today without three starters and three backups on the offensive line alone, according to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. Starting left guard Liam Eichenberg missed today as he deals with a hand injury. After that, the remaining five linemen who missed practice are the team’s top five tackles. First, tackles Austin Jackson and Eric Fisher remain on injured reserve with an ankle and calf injury, respectively. Jackson is eligible to return from IR but isn’t quite ready to, while Fisher is not yet eligible to return. Right tackle Brandon Shell is dealing with a high ankle sprain and mild knee sprain and is likely going to be out this weekend in Buffalo. Kendall Lamm has been dealing with an ankle issue and is questionable to play on Sunday. Lastly, left tackle Terron Armstead missed practice as he deals with multiple ailments including injuries to his hip, foot, knee, and pectoral muscle, according to Jackson. Not one to be subdued by pain, Armstead told Jackson that as long as his muscles function, he’ll be playing against the Bills. Potential backup options include Greg Little and starting right guard Robert Hunt, with Robert Jones filling in the guard spot. Geron Christian, Michael Dieter, and practice squad linemen should all be ready to hear their names called, as well.
  • Colts star linebacker Shaquille Leonard missed most of the season this year as he dealt with a nerve issue that has limited the use of his left calf. Leonard had back surgery to the address the issue in June but never saw the results he’d hoped for. Leonard and Indianapolis staff found it necessary to undergo a second surgery and, according to Joel A. Erickson of the Indy Star, it seems to have been much more effective. Leonard told Erickson that, after the second surgery, “the nerves are re-firing in his leg…in a way that didn’t happen after the first surgery.” Leonard is one of the premier players at his position, so signs that he is starting to progress back to his old self are welcome signs, for sure.

Notable 2023 Pro Bowl Incentives

December 21st, 2022 at 9:22pm CST by Ben Levine

The NFL announced their 2023 Pro Bowl rosters this evening. Besides the ability to list the accolade on their career resume (plus the monetary bonus that comes from participating in and winning the game), many players had a financial incentive for wanting a Pro Bowl nod. We’ve collected some of the notable Pro Bowl contract incentives below, most via ESPN’s Field Yates on Twitter (unless noted).

Geno Smith‘s contract bonus came via a specific incentive that required not only Pro Bowl recognition but 20 touchdown passes, according to Yates (on Twitter). Smith hit that TD mark back in Week 13. The impending free agent is set to cash in following a breakout campaign during his age-32 season.

Dolphins cornerback Xavien Howard has a more complex bonus worked into his contract. According to CBS Sports’ Joel Corry (on Twitter), Howard is one step closer to earning a $1MM bonus thanks to his Pro Bowl nod, but he’ll also need Miami to improve in either wins, points allowed, TDs allowed, total defense, interceptions, average net yards allowed per rushing play, or turnover margin.

Speaking of the Dolphins, the organization saved a chunk of future money since one of their players didn’t make the Pro Bowl roster. As Daniel Oyefusi of the Miami Herald tweets, Tua Tagovailoa‘s fifth-year option would have increased from $22MM to $28MM if he earned a Pro Bowl nod.

Dolphins LT Terron Armstead Expected To Miss Time

November 29th, 2022 at 9:00pm CST by Adam La Rose

TUESDAY, 9:00pm: There’s some optimism that Terron Armstead will be back on the field before the end of the regular season. Coach Mike McDaniels said he’s confident Armstead will play again this season, and the HC even hinted that the lineman could be back in two or three weeks.

“Wouldn’t put that past him,” McDaniels said (via Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald on Twitter). “Gathering information, seeking specialists and letting information settle so information can be a little more concrete…. Considering treatment options.”

SUNDAY, 8:00pm: The Dolphins came away with a comfortable win today, but their offensive line suffered a potentially significant blow in the process. Left tackle Terron Armstead exited the game with a pectoral injury, and is now facing the possibility of missing time for a stretch.

Armstead suffered the injury in the second quarter of the Dolphins’ win over the Texans, and did not return. Questions were raised about the severity of the ailment, and as such the length of Armstead’s absence, but the worst-case scenario appears to have been avoided. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport tweets that the 31-year-old suffered a pec strain, and that the team hopes to have him available to return “relatively soon.”

Armstead missed Miami’s Week 6 contest, and had already been playing through a toe injury. This latest ailment could leave him sidelined for longer than that, though he is known for having a high pain threshold dating back to his nine seasons in New Orleans. Still, missed time was a constant during that portion of his career; the former third-rounder has yet to play in every game in a single season in his career.

Signed to a five-year, $75MM deal this offseason, Armstead represented one of numerous moves the Dolphins made at attempting to improve their offensive line. The three-time Pro Bowler had delivered a solid PFF grade of 76.3 heading into today, having yet to allow a sack. Any absence from him would put a dent in the Dolphins’ pass protection in particular.

Elsewhere on the o-line, right tackle Austin Jackson also left the game after suffering an ankle injury. It was that same issue which landed him on IR in September, interrupting his full-time transition to the RT spot. That position had been manned by Greg Little, then Brandon Shell, in Jackson’s absence. More shuffling involving those two, and potentially starting left guard Liam Eichenberg, who has left tackle experience, could be necessary depending on the severity of Armstead’s and Jackson’s respective injuries.

Dolphins To Place T Austin Jackson On IR

September 16th, 2022 at 10:41am CST by Sam Robinson

After suffering an injury during the Dolphins’ season opener, Austin Jackson will be shut down for a stretch. Mike McDaniel said the third-year offensive lineman is headed to IR.

The Dolphins stationed Jackson at right tackle to start this season, having signed Terron Armstead to man the left side. Jackson suffered a sprained ankle in Miami’s Week 1 win. Greg Little, who replaced Jackson against the Patriots, is expected to start on the right side in Week 2.

Jackson played 14 offensive snaps against the Pats, beginning a full-time foray at right tackle. Drafted to be the Dolphins’ long-term Laremy Tunsil replacement at left tackle, Jackson did not stick at that position and spent much of his 2021 season at guard. The Dolphins, who have been keen on moving O-linemen around the formation in recent years, shuttled Jackson to right tackle after giving Armstead a five-year, $75MM deal in March.

A former Panthers second-round pick, Little arrived in Miami via August 2021 trade (for a seventh-round pick). Little has not started a game since the 2020 season. Little’s Panthers tenure did not take off; the Ole Miss product made just six starts with Carolina. The contract-year O-lineman will have another chance to make an impression Sunday.

Should Little falter, the Dolphins added some insurance this week. Brandon Shell signed with Miami’s practice squad. Shell, 30, has been a full-time right tackle starter since 2017. The former Jets and Seahawks blocker would make sense as Jackson relief, having made 61 starts in his six-year career.

Armstead, whose Saints career included a number of injuries, is battling a toe issue. McDaniel expects the 10th-year left tackle to play through it, however. With fourth-year interior lineman Michael Deiter and 2021 UDFA Robert Jones residing the team’s only O-line backups on the active roster, more help will be added once Jackson’s IR move processes. Jackson cannot return to action until Week 6.

AFC East Notes: Patricia, Dolphins, Armstead, Jets

August 20th, 2022 at 12:44pm CST by Ben Levine

If you’re keeping track at home, Matt Patricia now appears to be the favorite to be New England’s offensive play-caller. As Charean Williams of ProFootballTalk.com writes, Patricia was the only coach calling plays from the Patriots sideline during last night’s preseason contest. This is a change from the preseason opener, when Patricia alternated play-calling duties with Joe Judge.

Bill Belichick has continued to play coy on the entire situation, and he even hinted after the game that Patricia was merely communicating with Mac Jones vs. calling plays. Regardless of who ends up calling plays on offense, it’s clear that the organization is going with a committee approach to replace departed offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels.

“It’s still a process,” Belichick told reporters after the game (via NESN.com). “He (Matt Patricia)… communication with the quarterback? Yeah. But as far as calling the plays, there’s a whole other process on that.

However, if you ask some NFL sources, then it may be neither Patricia nor Judge calling offensive plays for the Patriots in 2022. As Albert Breer of SI.com writes, there are a “lot of smart NFL people who know the Patriots well” and believe it will ultimately be Belichick who ends up calling plays for Jones and the Patriots offense. Breer cautions that the head coach will end up calling plays “at some point this season,” perhaps a hint that the organization may role into the season with one of Patricia/Judge but will be prepared to pull the plug on the experiment.

More notes out of the AFC East…

  • A Patriots‘ seventh-round rookie may end up missing the entire season. According to ESPN’s Mike Reiss, offensive tackle Andrew Stueber doesn’t have a timetable for his return from the NFI list. Stueber suffered an injury while training after the draft, and Reiss hints that the injury could end up delaying the Michigan product’s NFL debut until the 2023 season.
  • Dolphins owner Stephen Ross has told league executives that he intends to leave the Dolphins organization to his family, according to Ben Fischer of Sports Business Journal (on Twitter). While this isn’t a huge surprise, it seems pretty clear that Ross won’t be leaving the franchise to limited partner Bruce Beal. Both Ross and Beal were slapped with suspensions following Miami’s tampering investigation.
  • The Dolphins inked left tackle Terron Armstead to a massive deal this offseason. However, the offensive lineman has never been able to make it through an entire season healthy, and that includes a 2021 campaign when he was limited to only eight snaps. If Armstead is forced to miss any time, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald suggests (on Twitter) that the coaching staff could end up moving right tackle Austin Jackson or guard Liam Eichenberg to LT, although the reporter notes that coach Mike McDaniel prefers to keep players at their starting position instead of shifting them around.
  • Duane Brown‘s two-year, $22MM deal with the Jets includes a $7.88MM signing bonus and three void years, according to ESPN’s Field Yates (on Twitter). As a result, the offensive tackle’s cap hit for the 2022 season is only $3.69MM. The veteran will earn a base salary of $1.12MM in 2022, but he’ll see that number jump to $9MM.

AFC East Rumors: Carter, Scarlett, Armstead, Dolphins

July 20th, 2022 at 7:57pm CST by Ely Allen

In addition to three first-round picks, the Jets also selected the first running back of the 2022 NFL Draft, taking Iowa State’s Breece Hall in the second round at 36th overall. After New York finished the 2021 NFL season as a bottom-10 team in rushing yards, last year’s starter, Michael Carter, is expected to take a back seat to Hall in 2022, according to Mike Kaye of Pro Football Network.

After watching Tevin Coleman and Ty Johnson start in Weeks 1 and 2, respectively, Carter got his turn in Week 3 and held on to become the team’s leading rusher. The fourth-round rookie carried the ball 147 times (63 more times than the next closest back) for 639 yards and 4 touchdowns.

With Hall expected to take over as the starter, Carter is “likely to be the change-of-pace back” for the Jets. Coleman and Johnson return and will compete with La’Mical Perine and undrafted rookie Zonovan Knight for the remaining roster spots behind Hall and Carter.

Here are a few more rumors from the AFC East, all hailing from South Beach:

  • After spending his first season in Miami working with the linebackers, former Texan Brennan Scarlett has been working with the defensive ends more this offseason, according to the Miami Herald’s Barry Jackson. This could open the door for a bit more playing time for Scarlett, as he returns to the role he had some success with in Houston. In his two most successful seasons with the Texans, Scarlett totaled 5.5 sacks and 9.0 tackles for loss to go along with 80 total tackles. The Dolphins would love to see that production return in 2022.
  • After only appearing in eight games last year with the Saints, offensive tackle Terron Armstead is not guaranteed to start the 2022 season healthy for the Dolphins, according to Adam H. Beasley of Pro Football Network. Armstead was shut down in mid-December with arm and knee injuries, undergoing surgery for his knees. Miami has been careful with Armstead, who’s dealt with plenty of health issues in his past, holding him out for all spring activities. Beasley points out that a healthy Armstead could be crucial for the development of young quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, considering “the Dolphins were last in pass-block win rate (47%) and 18th in sack rate (6.5%)” in the NFL last year.
  • The Dolphins added to their front office last week with the hire of new football analytics staff assistant Jeremy Stabile. He announced the hiring, himself, on his Twitter last Thursday. Stabile’s first job in football came with Syracuse University as a recruiting/analytics intern. He’s also spent time with football analytics websites working as an analyst with Pro Football Focus and PlayerProfiler.com. This is Stabile’s first job in the NFL.

AFC Rumors: Jaguars, Williams, Van Roten, Leonard, Browns, Griffin III

May 8th, 2022 at 5:29pm CST by Ely Allen

After the Jaguars fired former head coach Urban Meyer, it became public that Jacksonville had no intentions of paying Meyer the remaining money on his contract, as he was being fired for cause. There was speculation at the time that the parties may follow existing precedents and negotiate a settlement in order to avoid a legal situation.

According to Jarrett Bell of USA Today, an anonymous source with knowledge of the situation informed the columnist that, to date, the two sides have been unable to strike a settlement agreement.

Here are a few other rumors from around the AFC, starting with a rumor out of South Beach:

  • The Dolphins should have plenty of options for their offensive line configuration, but it most likely hinges on what they do with interior offensive lineman Connor Williams. According to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald, Miami isn’t quite sure what to do with Williams, working him at center and left guard over the past three weeks. The good news, is that it gives them plenty of options. With Terron Armstead solidified at left tackle and Robert Hunt solidly at right guard, Williams could fit at either position. If you put Williams at left guard, the team would likely have Michael Deiter start at center and leave Liam Eichenberg and Austin Jackson to compete for the starting right tackle job. If you start Williams at center, Eichenberg can slide in to the left guard job and Jackson can man the right tackle position.
  • The Jets recently released guard Greg Van Roten. According to Ralph Vacchiano of SNY, head coach Robert Saleh claimed that they released Van Roten because they believe he has the potential to start for other teams in the league. His release is meant to allow him to find those teams that would provide him a starting opportunity. Saleh was quoted saying they’d “love to have him back,” if he fails to find such opportunities.
  • Colts linebacker Darius Leonard had ankle surgery in June last year before the season. The surgery helped him to get healthy for the season, where he played every game but one and was named a first-team All-Pro for the third time in his career. While the ankle is still ailing him, Joel A. Erickson of the Indy Star reported that Leonard says the ankle is better now than it was at this point last year. This is an encouraging sign for Leonard and a scary message for the other teams in the AFC South. Leonard has been named to an All-Pro team every year of his career while being nagged by his ankle ailment. A healthy Leonard is a dangerous weapon for opposing teams to have to game-plan against.
  • With the return of free agent wide receiver Jarvis Landry seeming less and less likely, Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com believes the Browns will be able to push a bit harder now for free agent pass rusher Jadeveon Clowney to return. Cabot points out that drafting UAB pass rusher Alex Wright makes the need to sign Clowney a little less urgent, but also mentions that fellow pass rusher Myles Garrett wants Clowney back, which could help his case. Cabot claims that, if the two parties can’t agree to a new deal, Cleveland will consider former Bills defensive end Jerry Hughes instead.
  • We’ve all seen Rich Eisen of NFL Network run the 40-yard dash for charity. Well, this year, former NFL quarterback Robert Griffin III, currently an analyst for ESPN, participated and reportedly was clocked at 4.48 seconds. Mike Florio of NBC Sports reports that on Eisen’s show, Griffin made the claim that some teams took notice of his impressive run and reached out to him. This doesn’t necessarily mean that any teams have offered to bring him back to the NFL, but Griffin has publicly stated his desire to return to football in the past, even claiming that his contract with ESPN would allow him to sign with an NFL team if the opportunity presents itself. Griffin last spent time in the league as Lamar Jackson‘s back up on the Ravens. He filled in multiple times leading many to wonder if he still had the ability to lead an NFL offense based on his brief appearances.
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