FanPost

The One Player That Might Mean as Much as Tannehill

Mike DiNovo-USA TODAY Sports

I’ll give you some hints. He was the number 15 overall pick in the 2008 NFL Draft. He played college ball at the University of Virginia. This year, he will have the biggest cap hit on the team at $10.7 million and is one of three players on the roster to have a cap hit of at least $10 million. No, not Brent Grimes or Cameron Wake. He’s Branden Albert.

He’s not the flashiest of positions at left tackle, but his importance to the success of this Miami offense is second to none. Albert was initially brought in to help an offensive line that struggled mightily over the course of 2013. The 2013 offensive front featured Jonathan Martin and Tyson Clabo at the tackle positions, Richie Incognito and John Jerry at guards, and Mike Pouncey at center. The line was horrendous, allowing 58 sacks on Ryan Tannehill, which was the most in the league. In comparison, the Broncos had the least amount of sacks allowed that year with just 20. Not only was the pass protection bad, but the run-blocking wasn’t any better. The Dolphins were just 26th in the league with 1,440 rushing yards.

Enter Branden Albert and a deal for five years at $47 million. Fresh off of helping Jamaal Charles to dominate in a Kansas City run scheme, he garnered attention from the Dolphins, who were looking to fill the void left by Jonathan Martin. The team re-tooled the offensive line again, drafting Ja’Wuan James at the other tackle position and placing Billy Turner and Shelley Smith at the guard positions. The importance of Albert is in the sense that he solidifies the outside of the line, guarding against dangerous edge rushers and members of the secondary who may attack the QB. Albert’s position is especially important in a division that features Sheldon Richardson and Leonard Williams in New York, Chandler Jones in New England and an improving Jerry Hughes in Buffalo, all of which will face off against Albert.

During the 2014 campaign, when Albert was healthy, south Florida’s Sun-Sentinel said he only allowed three sacks and five QB pressures during his nine games played. His value showed as the offensive line began to click and so did the rest of the team, posting a 5-4 record in those games. It was only when he tore his ACL and MCL against the Lions that the team really plummeted. Too many players were being moved around on the line and there wasn’t any sense of stability. After all was said and done, the Dolphins gave up 46 sacks, which was still in the top 10 for most in the league, despite the changes in personnel.

Entering the 2015 campaign, and once again making roster moves, the Dolphins looked poised to contend for a playoff spot. Albert is not practicing yet, but he told reporters his healing is going well and he’s ahead of schedule. The impact of Albert cannot be understated because Tannehill needs time to mesh with his new receiving core, and there won’t be any time to do that if opposing defenses are in his face all year. Mike Pouncey has stated that the offensive line is the team’s biggest concern, so we’ll have to see what the team has in store to turn it around. As Ndamukong Suh has served as a mentor for other defensive players, hopefully Albert’s return will do the same on the offensive side of the ball. This will make for a more secure pocket and a greater chance of success for Tannehill, who enters a season where all eyes are looking on him to lead the team.

This is a FanPost and does not necessarily reflect the views of The Phinsider's writers or editors. It does reflect the views of this particular fan though, which is as important as the views of The Phinsider writers or editors.