As offensive line injuries have piled up for the Dolphins under Mike McDaniel, the team is again hoping for the best with Terron Armstead. The veteran left tackle has battled various maladies in Miami but has delivered quality play when available.
Armstead opted to return for a 12th NFL season, and the Dolphins have right tackle Austin Jackson signed long term as well. Jackson impressed last season but missed almost all of the 2022 campaign due to injury.
This made the draft a key window for the team to invest up front, and the Dolphins did by using a second-round pick on Patrick Paul. The Day 2 investment is now signed.
The Dolphins announced they have come to terms with Paul on his second-round rookie deal, which will run through 2027. This year’s steady gains on the guarantee front will benefit Paul, whom the Dolphins chose 55th overall.
Based on where the Texans went for Blake Fisher at No. 59, Paul stands to be the first player chosen 55th overall to see part of his Year 3 base salary guaranteed. Houston guaranteed 4% of its second-round tackle’s 2026 base.
Paul primarily played left tackle at Houston, which moved from the American Athletic Conference to the Big 12 ahead of his final college season. The talented blocker impressed regardless, finishing as a first-team All-Big 12 tackle a year after earning first-team All-AAC acclaim in 2021 and ’22.
Second-team All-America honors poured in for Paul, who started 27 games at left tackle over the past two seasons. Paul also made three LT starts for the Cougars as a freshman in 2019.
Despite Paul’s college body of work, ESPN’s Scouts Inc. did not have him graded as a Day 2 prospect; he checked in 132nd on that list. The Dolphins disagreed, and Armstead’s run of injuries points to the rookie potentially being needed in 2024.
The team also may have the option of keeping Paul on the developmental track. Miami re-signed swing tackle Kendall Lamm to a one-year, $2.5M deal this offseason. Lamm made eight starts last year, mostly filling in for Armstead, who missed seven games.
With Armstead on a year-to-year track and Lamm a veteran backup, Paul has a clear path to being a Dolphins starter in the not-too-distant future.
More must-reads: