On Sunday, the Miami Dolphins’ 30-15 win over the Houston Texans came with bad news as left tackle Terron Armstead left the game at the end of the first half with a pectoral muscle injury. It sounds like the injury isn’t as bad as fear because he has a strain, not a tear. However, if Armstead misses any games, can anyone step up in his place? 

The answer to that question is no because Armstead is the leader of the offensive line, and his presence on the field has helped transform the line into a respectable unit. When Armstead isn’t in the lineup, his presence is missing. After he left, quarterback Tua Tagovailoa got sacked four times at the end of the first half and into the second half. If the Dolphins didn’t pull Tagovailoa with the team up 30-0, there’s no telling how many more hits he would have taken and could possibly have gotten hurt. Brandon Shell is primarily a right tackle and looked lost at left tackle, replacing Armstead. The Dolphins brought back Austin Jackson on Sunday but are keeping him at right tackle. Greg Little has played decently this year when called upon, but he has his lapses from time to time. One option could be Liam Eichenberg when he comes back from injury because of his experience in college, but he struggled his rookie year at left tackle, which is why he was switched to left guard.  

Armstead was a big free agent signing this off-season from the New Orleans Saints. He’s an all-pro left tackle, but the problem is that he’s never played an entire NFL season during his career, so the signing came with risk. He’s been playing with a bad toe since the season opener, only missing two games, missed the Minnesota Vikings game, and played only eight snaps against the New York Jets. The Dolphins have a brutal three-game road trip starting Sunday against the San Fransico 49ers, and they have a formidable defensive front and could make for a long game for the offense. When he’s in the lineup, the Dolphins have a functioning offensive line, but when he’s not, the offense suffers. The lowly Texans took advantage with Armstead, pressuring Tagovailoa and then Skyler Thompson but trailed 30-0 before he left. three 

For all the credit Tagovailoa has gotten for his improved play, the big plays from Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle, as well as the running of Jeff Wilson, it all starts up front. You could make the case that Armstead could be the Dolphins MVP because of the turnaround from this unit with him in the lineup, giving the quarterback time to throw and opening running lanes for the running backs. Armstead is only one player, but he is the leader of the group, and his presence has helped the younger players like Robert Hunt, Robert Jones, Liam Eichenberg, and Shell when on the field. The problem is when he’s not in the lineup, who will step up? Somebody has to step, but who? My fear, as a fan, is this injury will hurt the progress of this offense this season and could potentially turn the season upside down. I know that’s probably my trauma from the last two decades. 

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