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SB Nation is our parent, and, obviously, they do a lot of great things to allow us as
Miami Dolphins fans to have this site and discuss our favorite team throughout the year. That does not mean they are always right, however, and that is the case of Ryan Van Bibber’s recent article “
Grading the Julius Thomas and potentially Branden Albert trade.” When the tag line for the article is “Today’s splashy move is tomorrow’s disappointment, at least that’s the way it usually works for the Dolphins. Is this one different?” you know things are not going to go well in the article, but Van Bibber’s conclusions are just wrong.
As a big part of his article, RVB focuses on the (presumed to be finalized) trade of Dolphins starting left tackle Branden Albert to the
Jaguars. He writes, ”Albert is due more than $18 million in salary over the next two years, with a cap hit of $10.6 million this year and $11.3 million next year. As we’ve said before,
that’s a lot of money for a left tackle who can’t stay on the field for 16 games.”
In the linked article, RVB wrote, “From a financial standpoint, parting ways with the 32-year-old Albert makes sense. He’s got a $10.6 million cap hit this year and an $11.3 million hit next year. That’s a big commitment for a player who hasn’t played a 16-game season since 2011.” He goes on to point out that the Dolphins’ offensive line - when healthy - was good in 2016, especially with the three 200-yard performances from running back
Jay Ajayi.
Miami, however, has their new franchise left tackle to take over for Albert in the shape of 2016 first-round draft pick Laremy Tunsil. He is a player who allowed one sack last season while splitting time at left guard and left tackle - where he was filling in for the injured Albert. So, as RVB seems to indicate, trading Albert makes sense financially, especially when you add in the missed games, where Miami was having to rearrange the starting offensive line multiple times during the season.
Then, suddenly, RVB adds into the original “grading” article, “The Jaguars would definitely be getting the better deal here. Albert’s 32 and hasn’t played a full season since 2011, but when he is on the field, he’s a good left tackle, something the Jaguars desperately need, especially if Doug Marrone’s administration is going to take one last chance at salvaging
Blake Bortles.”
He follows that up with, “
Thomas is more of a luxury for the Dolphins. We’ll see if he agrees to a new contract and what kind of pay cut that carries, if any, but it’s hard to make a case that Thomas makes Miami a better team (especially since they’re going to have to overhaul their defense this offseason and fix up the offensive line with a need at both guard positions now).”
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