Kelly: Dolphins Should Take a Break for Terron Armstead:
Making Terron Armstead miss the next two games could allow the starting left tackle to return to his peak as an offensive lineman.
When healthy, Terron Armstead is a top-tier offensive lineman in the NFL.
A team can shift their protection away from this aggressive tackle, who is quite dominant at times, as it is well-known that the four-time Pro Bowl selection is more than capable of taking on opponents on his own.
However, that is only when the 32-year-old is well. Throughout his 11-year career, maintaining good health has been the biggest obstacle for this veteran.
And for Armstead, staying healthy this season hasn’t been a struggle—rather, it’s been a nightmare. He had to undergo weeks of rehabilitation after suffering a knee scope at training camp.
Armstead then had a severe foot injury during practice, which kept him out of the first two games.
After two games, he eventually returned to the field, but in Miami’s defeat to the Buffalo Bills, a defender rolled up under him, injuring his right knee.
After being placed on injured reserve, Armstead battled back from the injury, but recently, he hasn’t played as well as he could have due to what is reportedly knee soreness and a quadriceps injury he aggravated during Miami’s victory over the Jets late last month.
After a touchdown drive in the second quarter, Armstead suffered a rolled ankle during Sunday’s 45-15 victory over the Washington Commanders.
He was taken out of the game right away, and if the Dolphins were smart, they would have avoided having Armstead play football for the next two weeks in light of the team’s objectives and the larger picture of the 2023 season.
The general consensus among experienced players is that their bodies heal more slowly than those of younger players.
Rest is necessary for Armstead’s body to heal, which takes time.
The Dolphins must play a strong final regular season and maintain a relentless playoff schedule if they hope to end this season in Las Vegas, where they will play in the season-ending Super Bowl.
Rather than the Armstead that goes on the field every week intending to support his teammates, I believe there’s a greater chance that things work out with a healthy, healed, and new Armstead.
For the past two weeks, Kendall Lamm has been limited in practice and game participation due to a back injury. However, the Dolphins must find a way to cover for Lamm, as having an All-Pro caliber Armstead for the final stretch is essential to this team’s success.
In response to Armstead’s growing frustration with every injury, head coach Mike McDaniel stated, “I don’t think people give credit where credit’s due.” “Even so, it’s unusual to play that position during a reduced workweek because, normally, that’s a high-anxiety position for the average player. There is pass protection, a high number of third downs, games that come down to the wire, the best athletes in the game, and a lot of times you find yourself alone. Not everyone is a fan of that.
