The Miami Dolphins will operate as if left tackle Terron Armstead won’t return, according to coach Mike McDaniel.
Although the 33-year-old was “not totally ready to make that decision,” the franchise must think about its future as well, per McDaniel.
“He’s going to take his time with his family and loved ones and make that decision because it’s not an easy one,” McDaniel said Tuesday morning at the NFL Combine. “But we will be operating as though we’re moving on in that way simply for the execution of free agency and the draft.”
Just hours after McDaniel’s statement, Armstead reportedly agreed to restructure his contract, according to NFL insider Ian Rapoport. Doing so immediately creates $14 million in cap space, per the Twitter account @Texanscap, but also allows the possibility for him to return.
The restructuring “allows the team to make all the necessary moves they want to make and allows Armstead, 33, to be on the team until he makes his decision on his future,” Rapoport wrote.
Despite his age, the Arkansas Pine-Bluff product played at an elite level in 2024 before a knee injury significantly impacted his play down the stretch. Still, Pro Football Focus graded Armstead as the fourth-best tackle in the league. His ability to gut through what was very clearly a painful ailment earned him even more praise than usual.
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“He’s one of the best pros I’ve ever been around,” fullback Alec Ingold said Dec. 9. “He doesn’t talk very much, but when he talks, people listen. He has a very unique leadership style to him. He’s almost like a father figure it seems like in the huddle. You can tell when he’s on the field, guys have confidence. All 10 guys outside of Terron have confidence when you see ‘72’ in the huddle, and I think that carries over into the locker room.”
Armstead will turn 34 by the start of the 2025 season. When asked about his potential return during Super Bowl, he left the door open to a potential return as the Dolphins currently have him under contract for two more years.
“Feel great, man,” Armstead told ProFootball Network. “I’m just enjoying the time with my kids, and all those great things. I’ll be talking to the Dolphins front office pretty soon to figure out the direction and path that we’re looking to go, but [I] feel great.”
If Armstead opts to retire, second-year player Patrick Paul will be the starter. The good news: since the start of the offseason, Paul has prepared as if he will start.
“I’m working towards being a starter and that’s all I’m focused on: being the best version of myself this year,” Paul said at the Dolphins Cancer Challenge on Feb. 22.
As a rookie, Paul started three games, two of which came late in the season as both Armstead and then-starting right tackle Kendall Lamm dealt with injuries. The results were mixed — PFF graded him as the fourth-worst tackle in 2024 — but Paul looked noticeably slimmer at the DCC and could be primed for increased reps come 2025.
“I’ve been working on the things that I saw weaknesses in during the draft process last year and just fine-tuning myself,” Paul said. “I’ve lost a lot of weight. I’ve been on a good diet, learning from the older guys how to take care of my body in the offseason.”
