The Miami Dolphins will continue to allow offensive tackle Terron Armstead to contemplate his NFL future this offseason. But the Dolphins will work under the assumption he won’t return next season.
That’s what Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel told reporters at the NFL combine on Feb. 25.
“Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel said Terron Armstead is not yet ready to make a decision but team will operate as if he won’t play,” tweeted The Sun Sentinel’s David Furones.
Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel said Terron Armstead is not yet ready to make a decision but team will operate as if he won’t play.
— David Furones (@DavidFurones_) February 25, 2025
To allow Armstead more time to weigh his future, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported the Dolphins and Armstead agreed to change his pay.
“Dolphins LT Terron Armstead plans to take his contract down to minimum, I’m told, from the $28.6M he was set to make,” wrote Rapoport.
“That 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.”
#Dolphins LT Terron Armstead plans to take his contract down to minimum, I’m told, from the $28.6M he was set to make.
That 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.
#Dolphins LT Terron Armstead plans to take his contract down to minimum, I’m told, from the $28.6M he was set to make.
That 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. pic.twitter.com/IrRf7yaj42— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) February 25, 2025
The veteran offensive tackle played the past three seasons for the Dolphins. In 2024, he started 15 games, playing through multiple injuries.
Dolphins Set to Move on From LT Terron Armstead
Miami will lose a valuable veteran if Armstead doesn’t elect to return. However, the Dolphins offensive line was old and lacked physicality, particularly in the run game, during 2024.
That problem was mostly at guard. But it likely didn’t help that Armstead never practiced during the 2024 season.
Without Armstead, the Dolphins can begin making significant changes to their offensive line. They will do just that, as the organization is not going to wait for Armstead to decide his future.
“One thing that Terron understands is from the organizational perspective, we have to operate in some way, shape or form,” McDaniel told reporters, via ESPN’s Marcel Louis-Jacques. “And I think with Terron reflecting his ability and all that, he’s not totally ready to make that decision as a result.
“I think we have to operate as though he won’t play just because you have to prepare for things that you can’t control. But I think he’s going to take his time with his family and loved ones and make that decision because it is not an easy one, but we will be operating
“So we are moving on in that way, simply for the execution of free agency and the draft.”
Armstead started 38 games for the Dolphins over three seasons. He made the Pro Bowl in 2022 and 2023.
Prior to arriving in Miami, Armstead started 93 contests for the New Orleans Saints from 2013-21. The Saints drafted Armstead in the third round of the 2013 NFL Draft.
He made the Pro Bowl with the Saints three consecutive years from 2018-20. He also earned a second-team All-Pro nomination during 2018.
How Dolphins Replace Armstead
Pundits have linked the Dolphins to offensive line prospects in the first round of the 2025 NFL draft. But in a lot of cases, they’ve been guards.
Miami may have Armstead’s replacement already on its roster. The Dolphins picked offensive tackle Patrick Paul at No. 55 overall in the 2024 NFL Draft.
Paul started three games and played 30% of Miami’s offensive snaps as a rookie.
While Armstead continues to weigh his future, Paul will probably operate as the team’s projected starting left tackle. The Dolphins are more likely to target guard this offseason through the draft and free agency.
Both of Miami’s starting guards, Liam Eichenberg and Robert Jones, are unrestricted free agents this offseason.
