Report: Dolphins Not Willing To Part With Second-Round Pick For Chiefs’ Branden Albert
Kirby Lee/Image of Sport-USA TODAY Sports
According to the Palm Beach Post, the Miami Dolphins are not willing to give up a second-round pick to the Kansas City Chiefs for LT Branden Albert.
From the Post, via Twitter:
Heard from one source this morning that #Dolphins agree with @RossTuckerNFL, that a 2nd rounder isn't worth it for Albert. We'll see...
— Ben Volin (@BenVolin) April 25, 2013
This just doesn’t make any sense to me. If the Dolphins are willing to pay Albert over $9 million a year, how could they not think he is worth a second-round pick? Remember, Miami, if they pay Albert that much, will be paying him more than Jake Long wanted, and Long was a guy Miami took with the No. 1 overall pick.
I am sure Miami’s deal with Albert will be backloaded so that if Albert doesn’t perform or gets injured, the franchise can get out from under a bulk of the money. Still, the Dolphins wouldn’t be sailing in these waters in the first place if they didn’t think they needed a top flight tackle. Further, if Miami thought they could get said tackle in the second round, or even in the first, they wouldn’t be pursuing Albert.
This sounds to me like a last minute power play by the Dolphins to try to get Chiefs GM John Dorsey to settle for a third-round pick.
The Chiefs hold the first pick of the third round (as well as a compensatory pick at the end of the third round that they can not trade) so if KC were to accept Miami’s third-rounder, the Chiefs would have the ammo to move up into the second round using the two picks if they wanted to. But in a draft that is considered very deep, with a lot of value in the second and third rounds, the Chiefs might want to avoid going that route.
If the Dolphins keep playing chicken with the Chiefs right up until the draft starts tonight, this could backfire on them. If the Chiefs like a defensive player and think they are going to be stuck with Albert, the Chiefs could take that player, thus officially taking the Albert trade off the table. If the Chiefs don’t take a tackle at No. 1, it is hard to see them dealing Albert. KC may have a plan to either sign Albert to a long-term deal next offseason or they may just resign themselves to the fact that Albert may leave in free agency next offseason and that tackle will be a hole the team will have to fill later.