After 12 NFL seasons and five Pro Bowl selections, offensive tackle Terron Armstead retired from the NFL this offseason. But he has good news for the Miami Dolphins fans that he left behind.
Since he left the Dolphins, Armstead has sounded off during media appearances about the talent of Miami quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, and he was at it again on Monday on NFL Network’s “Good Morning Football.”
“I think he’s special. I do. I really do,” Armstead said. “I’ve been very loudly about my support of Tua as a teammate, as a fan. I think he can do really special things with the football in his hands. I may be the one that originated the Drew Brees comparison, and I’ll stand on that. I will. He’s very talented -- his anticipation, his accuracy, his decisions. There’s very few guys who have walked this planet who can do what he can do with the football in his hands. …
“I’ve seen it in close proximity. I’ve seen his preparation. We’ve seen him, collectively as football fans, we’ve seen him improve since his rookie year until now. He led the league in passing yards a couple of years ago. He leads the league in completion percentage every year. Those are winning stats. And I think even more this year he takes another step in his leadership, he takes another step in the fourth quarter, two-minute drill, those late-game situations that really separate the good from the great. I think it’s time.”
For the first eight seasons of his career, Armstead played with Brees on the New Orleans Saints. A 13-time Pro Bowler, Brees retired after the 2020 season and ranks second in passing yards and touchdown passes on the NFL’s career list.
Armstead joined the Dolphins in free agency in 2022, and he put his old quarterback in touch with his new quarterback. The tackle said at the time that the quarterbacks were physically similar but also shared an elite accuracy in throwing the football.
Among NFL players with at least 2,000 passes, Tagovailoa and Brees rank second and third, respectively, for career completion percentage, with Tagovailoa at .681 and Brees at .677. (Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow is at the top of the list at .686.)
After leading the NFL with 4,624 passing yards in 2023, Tagovailoa led the league in completion percentage at .729 in 2024. The former Alabama All-American’s completion rate last season stands as the third-best in NFL history behind Brees’ .744 in 2018 and .743 in 2019.
The Saints posted 13-3 regular-season records in the 2018 and the 2019 seasons. Miami went 8-9 in 2024 as Tagovailoa missed six games – four because of a concussion and two because of a hip injury.
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The Dolphins’ top candidate to replace Armstead at left tackle is Patrick Paul, a 2024 second-round draft pick who started three games as a rookie.
Miami also could have changes at their guard positions in 2025, too, with James Daniels coming aboard via free agency and Jonah Savaiinaea joining as the 37th selection in the 2025 NFL Draft.
The Dolphins expect to have Austin Jackson back at right tackle after he missed the final nine games of the 2024 season because of a knee injury.
Miami’s summer break will end when the rookies report for training camp on July 15. The veterans will follow one week later. The Dolphins open their three-game preseason schedule on Aug. 10 against the Chicago Bears.
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Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on X at@AMarkG1.