The last time Miami Dolphins fans saw Marc Colombo, things didn’t exactly turn out so well. Colombo served as the starting right tackle for the 2011 Miami Dolphins before calling it a career and eventually transitioning into coaching. 2011 didn’t go so hot for Colombo, he was one of the worst offensive tackles in the league that season — allowing an alarming number of sacks and pressures during that final year in the pros.
Dolphins right tackle Marc Colombo checks in at No. 70 when it comes to NFL tackles. He's allowed 8 sacks and 32 pressures.
— Omar Kelly (@OmarKelly) December 21, 2011
And so it is understandable if a Dolphins fan hears the name and can’t help but cringe. But Colombo is a different man in a different role these days — he’s currently a free agent offensive line coach after the regime change in Dallas. And he’d actually make a fair bit of sense for the Dolphins. Miami is in need of a new offensive line coach of their own — Brian Flores has burned through two of them in his first 12 months on the job.
And Flores and Colombo have history together, too. The two played together at Boston College at the beginning of the millennium before Colombo went on to be a 1st-round pick in the 2002 NFL Draft.
Flores has shown a willingness to work with people he’s crafted past connections with, but has also shown via his dismissal of Chad O’Shea that there’s no hesitation to part ways with an old colleague if the job isn’t getting done to his satisfaction.
Colombo has served in the coaching ranks for the Cowboys since 2014, working his way from a personnel assistant to the team’s offensive line coach for the past year and a half. The Cowboys finished this season with the 2nd most passing yards in the NFL, the 5th highest yards per attempt, over 2,100 rushing yards and only 23 sacks on the season — thanks in large part to an offensive line anchored by three former 1st-round picks. And Colombo.
Given his recent work and his experience with Flores, the Dolphins could do much worse than hiring Colombo to aid in the reclamation of their offensive line.
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