The Dolphins spent a lot of money on receivers this offseason as part of an effort to boost their offensive production in 2013.
There were a lot of people who thought they needed to address left tackle as well after Jake Long left for the Rams as a free agent and the Dolphins certainly flirted with possibilities, including a trade for Branden Albert of the Chiefs. They never acquired anyone at the spot, though, and then signed Tyson Clabo to play right tackle after the draft. That means Jonathan Martin will be manning the left side of the line and the early returns on his work in practice are good.
“He’s more fluid over there,” center Mike Pouncey said, via the team’s website. “You can tell when he’s kick sliding that way he’s more comfortable being in a left-handed stance. Obviously, he wanted to play over there last year but he was forced to play the right side and I think he’s going to do a great job.”
Right guard John Jerry and quarterback Ryan Tannehill gave similar reviews of Martin’s performance, although any talk of May practice work must be tempered with the large grain of salt that comes with football played at something less than full speed. The ultimate result of those other big offseason moves will have much to do with Martin’s ability to live up to these early notices because the best receivers in the world won’t help Tannehill if he doesn’t have time to throw.