My issue with Monroe (purely financial) is that we would not have gotten him for the price the Ravens paid.. It would have been the same or larger than Alberts deal imo, and that's what scared off suitors. The only reason the ravens got him so cheap is the tackle market got cleaned out really quickly and all the high bidders got their guys, so he was left with the deal the ravens had put forward the week before.. I agree, he's the safer option - but financially it would have been equal or worse bringing him in (I would lean towards it being worse given how little action he got - potentially $10m/year).
As for Veldheer.. He's got his own injury problems and less of a proven track record than Albert. He showed huge promise in 2012 no doubt, and could return to that form - but there are the same questions with him as there are with Albert, health-wise. Given the state of our o-line, and how Hickeys career could very well depend on fixing it.. I think they go for the proven guy 100% of the time in this situation. That also goes for Anthony Collins, who is largely projection for high-end starting LT at this point.
I'm not saying I think Albert was the best option at the best price, I'm just trying to show why our FO could have come to this decision..
Negotiations between agents occurred over the weekend(actually well before that but thats the line the NFL is sticking to), we could have worked out a suitable deal with Monroe or others before the market cleaned out. I dont have any reason to suspect that Monroe couldnt have been had for at least a similar deal to what he agreed to with the Ravens. Even if we would have had to outbid them(doubtful, teams really didnt do much bidding for lineman and the Ravens are the type to just move on to the next guy), we wouldnt have had to pay as much for him as we would have for Albert.
And even if he did give him Albert's deal, he would likely have earned it for the entirety of the length. It looks like we are going to have to so-to-speak "double dip" to fix that position in a few years. We'll be paying Albert, getting the cap hit when we cut him, and then having to pay another player to replace him. Financially, it doesnt make much sense no matter how the deal is structured.
Veldheer tore his tricep. Freak injuries happen to everyone, that cant be controlled or projected. What can be projected on are chronic conditions. And Albert's back problem could easily fall into that category. Back problems themselves are tricky, and in Albert's case hes apparently had "spasms" even though he considers his problem "healed". For now thats fine, but what about after another season of beating? And the year after? Again, he could be fine, but history is against him. As well, if we are going to hold Veldheer's injury against him, its worth remembering that Albert came close to blowing out his knee this year.
As for Collins, we are making the same projection for him as we are for Albert: can they continue to play at a high level for x amount of years. For Collins, there are questions about his inexperience, for Albert its his age/injuries. The difference between the two is the price tag. Id gamble on the cheaper/younger guy than the older/more expensive option.
I know why our front office made this decision: our line is atrocious, we have a plethora of cash thats only going to grow as the cap raises, and Albert fits exactly what Philbin(a former offensive line coach) is trying to do on offense. Philbin also believes hes close to pushing us over the edge and, by extension, saving his job. He'll gamble on getting 2 very good years from Albert so he can secure his position.
Other than our line being atrocious, i dont find their logic all that convincing. Schemes can adapt, spending should always be done carefully, and we should have made the best deal possible for the Miami Dolphins even if it wasnt the best deal for the current coach. Im not against signing Albert, i definitely wanted this problem fixed via free agency. What im against is signing Albert over the other options we had available. Of the top 4 choices available we chose the oldest, most expensive, and least durable. I consider that a poor choice.