Nov 9, 2014; Detroit, MI, USA; Miami Dolphins tackle Branden Albert (71) is attended to by medical staff after an injury during the second quarter against the Detroit Lions at Ford Field. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports
BRANDEN ALBERT
New Team: Miami Dolphins
Contract: 5 years, $47 million
There is no question Branden Albert is a quality tackle. The former Pro Bowl left tackle, who was draft in 2008 by former Chiefs general manager Carl Peterson, was never considered the best tackle in the league but he was certainly a quality one. His $47 million deal was more than justified in terms of on-field performance.
Kansas City definitely could have used him on the offensive line given what we know now. The dumpster fire that was the Chiefs interior line spread its effects to the outside, where second year tackle Eric Fisher struggled with consistency and Ryan Harris struggled with being, well, good on the right side. Simply having Albert on the line would have opened up a lot of positive things for the Chiefs even with Mike McGlynn and Zach Fulton providing toll-free passage to the Chiefs’ backfield.
The problem with Albert has always been health. After an excellent eight-game start to his career in Miami, Albert suffered a knee injury that required surgery and ended his season. This makes three straight seasons where Albert failed to play all sixteen games in a season. In fact, in seven professional seasons Albert has played a full slate of games only once in his career and has failed to play 15 or more games in four times.
There are two certainties with Albert: He’s going to be a quality left tackle and he’s going to get hurt.
Albert will turn 31 years old in the middle of the 2015 season and will be coming off his second knee injury in as many seasons. He’s a quality player who will do some good things for the Dolphins over the life of his contract, but one has to wonder if he’ll ever be fully worth the $47 million the Dolphins paid to acquire his services.
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