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After a three-ring circus of NFL rumors, the deal for Brandon Albert, left tackle for the Miami Dolphins, looks to close today.
#Dolphins expected deal for Julius Thomas is for a 7th in '17. #Jaguars expected deal for Branden Albert if completed is for a '18 late pick
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) February 20, 2017
With this trade, the Dolphins are opening cap space for a big purchase, quite possibly, a prized defensive tackle.
Ian Rapoport believes Miami is expected to ‘make a pretty big splash’ when free agency begins, on March 9. He also believes defensive tackle and cornerback are the areas Miami want to upgrade. Prior to the trade, the Miami Dolphins have $42 million in cap space, and it will only grow as they hand off the last two years of Albert’s five year $47 million contract; an extra $10.6 million opening on 2017’s books.
Checking Spotrac and their ‘Market Value’ evaluator, Brandon Williams is due for a 5 year, $62 million contract. Miami can absolutely afford the price-tag, and with a decent general manager to balance the contract with the cap, the Dolphins could punish teams with the force of Ndamukong Suh, Cameron Wake and Williams.
While it looks overboard on one focused position, the reasoning to upgrade the defensive line further involves their division nemesis, the New England Patriots.
With Tom Brady continuing to embarrass Father Time, the Dolphins plan could be simply attack relentlessly through the defensive line. With the defensive tackle duo of Suh & Williams, four man pressure could subdue the Patriots offense. Obviously this is easier said than done, but you must start somewhere.
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