The Dolphins were able to trade Branden Albert to the Jaguars after reports surfaced that they were going to release the veteran left tackle, but their willingness to move on without compensation was a pretty clear sign about how motivated they were to slice Albert from the roster.
The presence of 2016 first-round pick Laremy Tunsil was the biggest part of that motivation. Coach Adam Gase gushed about Tunsil while speaking to the media at the league meetings in Arizona on Wednesday.
“We drafted him in the first round because we felt like he’s an elite left tackle,” Gase said, via the Miami Herald. “We felt like we have a special player there. When we watch him practice at left tackle, it looks different. You watch him: A guy his size, he moves so smooth. His confidence when he goes to left tackle, it changes. You can tell he knows that’s where he belongs. BA did a great job for us was a great leader for us. But it was time for us to get Laremy out to that left tackle spot.”
Tunsil played left guard last season, something Gase said will help him as a tackle because “it makes him understand the whole picture” of the offensive line rather than just one position. All of that adds up to high expectations for a player the Dolphins hope will be anchoring their line well into the next decade.