The Dolphins aren’t keeping left tackle Branden Albert, but they found out quickly that there was sufficient interest in him elsewhere that they might get something for him.
And a potential trade partner has now been identified.
According to Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald, the Jaguars are interested in Albert, though it’s unclear if the interest is mutual.
The Jaguars have a clear need at the position, since they’re not picking up the option on incumbent Kelvin Beachum’s contract. But it’s also not certain the 32-year-old Albert wants to join a team that’s not considered close to contending.
The report also mentioned tight end Julius Thomas as a potential makeweight in the deal, considering his production in Denver came when Dolphins coach Adam Gase was offensive coordinator there. The Jaguars guaranteed $3 million of Thomas’s salary this year by keeping him on the roster already, so they might want to keep him in place and see if he returns to the form they thought they were buying.
Of course, there are a number of moving parts here, and nothing can happen until the league year starts on March 9. But it’s a curious set of dots to connect. The Dolphins might prefer draft pick compensation anyway, but the idea that Jacksonville would want Albert isn’t farfetched.