Tag: Patrick Paul

Terron Armstead doubtful, 5 Dolphins questionable vs. Texans

One Dolphins starting offensive tackle is doubtful and the other is questionable for a Week 15 game in Houston.

The Miami Dolphins will likely be without left tackle Terron Armstead and may be without right tackle Kendall Lamm, as well, when they take on the Houston Texans in Week 15.

“I am a little pessimistic about [Armstead] this week and we’ve planned accordingly, but we’ll see how the next 48 hours go,” Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel told reporters Friday.

In the event that Armstead is ruled out, second-round rookie Patrick Paul would be in line to make his second NFL start. If both Armstead and Lamm, who is questionable with a back injury, are out, the Dolphins have former Bengals lineman Jackson Carman next up on the depth chart. There’s also Isaiah Wynn, who began his career at tackle before moving to guard with the Dolphins.

Here’s the full injury report for both teams heading into a Week 15 game at NRG Stadium in Houston:

Dolphins injury report

Out

  • WR Dee Eskridge (knee)

Doubtful

  • OT Terron Armstead (knee)

Questionable

  • LB Bradley Chubb (knee)
  • WR Grant DuBose (shoulder)
  • LS Blake Ferguson (non-football illness)
  • LB Cameron Goode (knee)
  • OT Kendall Lamm (back)

Texans injury report

Out

  • OL Juice Scruggs (foot)

Questionable

  • G Nick Broeker (hand)
  • G Kenyon Green (shoulder)
  • LB Christian Harris (calf)
  • LB Jamal Hill (knee)

Earlier in the day Friday, the Texans placed third-year safety Jalen Pitre on the injured reserve.

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Dolphins starting OT expected to miss rest of 2024 after surgery

The Dolphins are turning to Kendall Lamm (or Patrick Paul) at right tackle for the remainder of the 2024 season.

Miami Dolphins starting right tackle Austin Jackson will have knee surgery and is expected to miss the remainder of the 2024 season, according to coach Mike McDaniel.

Jackson, 25, was placed on injured reserve earlier this week after McDaniel told reporters over the weekend that surgery was “not out of the question.” However, the coach added that he didn’t believe a procedure would sideline him for the rest of the season.

Instead, the Dolphins will turn to veteran offensive tackle Kendall Lamm, who started Monday night against the Los Angeles Rams, to take over on the right side of the offensive line. Behind Lamm on the depth chart is second-round rookie Patrick Paul.

On Wednesday, McDaniel said the team will stick with Lamm in the starting lineup, although he didn’t rule out Paul eventually taking over.

“You base those decisions off day in and day out work,” McDaniel. “I was happy with the way that Kendall [Lamm] played and, it’s really like all the positions on the football team, I look at it like, yeah, that’s his job. However, my job as head of coaching is that if somebody goes and takes that job somehow, some way, or deserves an opportunity, that’s when they get it.”

Jackson signed a three-year contract extension with the Dolphins in December 2023. In eight games, Pro Football Focus credited the right tackle with allowing 15 pressures and three sacks before his injury.

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Watch: Terron Armstead coaches up rookie Patrick Paul on the sideline

Terron Armstead is taking second-round rookie Patrick Paul under his wing.

If all goes according to plan for the Miami Dolphins, second-round rookie Patrick Paul likely won’t see the field much early in his NFL career. The 6’8 offensive tackle will instead sit behind five-time Pro Bowler Terron Armstead on the depth chart.

It’s not a bad place to be.

Armstead, 33, has been among the best at his position for nearly a decade and has been considering retirement for a while now. Even if he manages to play all 17 games this year — something he’s never done in his career — Paul may only need to wait until 2025 to take the reins at left tackle.

In the mean time, he gets to learn from one of the best. On Saturday night, that tutelage was on display on the Dolphins’ sideline during a preseason game against the Washington Commanders.

Paul could use the help. While he made a strong first impression against the Atlanta Falcons in his preseason debut, Paul was among the lowest graded players Saturday against the Commanders and allowed a sack that turned into a red zone turnover for the Dolphins.

Fortunately for Paul and the Dolphins, he doesn’t need to be a polished player quite yet. And both offensive line coach Butch Barry and Armstead are working to get Paul ready for action.

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Dolphins rookie T Patrick Paul feeling confident after preseason debut

Patrick Paul said Friday night was a reminder to himself that “Yeah, I can do this.”

Dolphins rookie offensive tackle Patrick Paul got his first taste of NFL action Friday in a preseason contest against the Altana Falcons. While preseason result don’t count for much, they provide players entering their rookie season a chance to show what they’ve got against other NFL competition.

Paul took advantage of the opportunity in the Dolphins’ 20-13 win over Atlanta. The 6-7, 332-pound lineman used that size effectively as a pass blocker and looked like a mauler in the running game.

“There are moments in it where you just go out there and you just realize ‘yeah I can do this, this is what I’m made for,'” Paul said after the game. “I’ve had those moments. You just got to keep building, trusting in [offensive line coach Butch Barry’s] coaching and trusting in what their plan is for me.”

The questions surrounding Paul after the 2024 NFL draft were about his fundamentals and footwork. While this game showed improvements, there is still more work to be done in order for him to be ready for regular season action.

Second-round selections like Paul are often expected to be starters immediately. Miami currently has their starting tackles established with Terron Armstead and Austin Jackson, but the slots behind them on the depth chart are wide open.

With Armstead’s injury history, the Dolphins may need Paul to be ready for regular season NFL action sooner rather than later. Friday night was a good sign that he’s on the right track.

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Terron Armstead on rookie OT Patrick Paul: ‘You see the flashes’

Veteran offensive tackles Terron Armstead and Kendall Lamm are impressed with what they’ve seen from Patrick Paul.

If all goes according to plan, Miami Dolphins rookie offensive tackle Patrick Paul probably won’t see the field much in 2024. The mammoth second-round pick will presumably be behind starters Terron Armstead and Austin Jackson on the depth chart, as well as veteran backup Kendall Lamm.

So there isn’t much reason for consternation and hand-wringing about Paul’s inconsistent start to his first training camp with the Dolphins. Instead, Armstead and Lamm say there’s plenty of reason to be optimistic about the 6’8 rookie’s future.

“You see the talent; you see the flashes,” Armstead told reporters Tuesday. “Things that he needs to learn and work on, which of course, but I like where he’s at mentally. He’s tough, he’s physical, strong, he’s huge. His ability to move and mirror, stay in front of guys to finish a play has been impressive.

“I like him a lot, I like him a lot. He’s going to be a really good player for a long time. We just got to keep working and fine-tuning some things techniques wise, mindset, a lot of pre-snap adjustments that he can kind of learn from. But that will come with time and experience.”

Paul may be asked to take over starting duties in 2025. Lamm is on a one-year contract and says that the upcoming season will be his “last ride.” Armstead has also contemplated retirement in recent years and the Dolphins could save $14.3 million by releasing the tackle with a post-June 1 designation next offseason.

For now, though, the Dolphins have plenty of reason to be patient and diligent with the development of Paul. And according to his teammates, the positive signs far out-weigh the negatives.

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Dolphins sign second-round OT Patrick Paul

The Dolphins now have all but one of their 2024 NFL draft picks under contract.

The Miami Dolphins signed second-round draft pick Patrick Paul to a contract Tuesday, the team announced.

Paul, 22, was the No. 55 overall pick in April after a strong career at Houston, where he was a two-time First-Team All-AAC selection and a First-Team All-Big 12 selection in 2023 after the team switched conferences. The 6’7, 331-pound offensive lineman is expected to be a backup as a rookie behind veteran left tackle Terron Armstead.

“His approach has been awesome so far and really excited to continue this growth now that we’ve seen through spring to when we get back to camp and really build,” Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel said of Paul last week during the team’s minicamp. “Especially when you get to get pads on, because that’s really where linemen learn, like you’re hitting a surface that maybe isn’t what reality is going to be when the training camp comes.”

While terms of Paul’s contract haven’t been revealed, the majority of the framework of the deal was predetermined by the NFL’s collective bargaining agreement. As the No. 55 overall pick, the offensive tackle was due to receive a four-year, $6,911,696 contract with a $1,846,688 signing bonus.

Following the deal, first-round pick Chop Robinson is the only Dolphins rookie not yet under contract.

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Dolphins NFL Draft grade: Patrick Paul, OT, Houston 55th overall

Dolphins NFL Draft grade for selecting Patrick Paul, OT, Houston 55th overall in the second round

Given the recent health concerns of Miami’s starting left tackle in Terron Armstead, the Dolphins made sure to address both the depth at the position and potentially find a long term replacement with the selection of Houston offensive tackle Patrick Paul.

Paul projects as an immediate depth addition, slotting right behind Armstead to allow time to develop should the current starter stay on the field. Paul is talented enough to play on either side of the line and could be the backup for either side as well as a functioning swing tackle.

Possessing long arms, excellent athleticism, and lockdown strength, Paul projects well as a developmental starter in this league. If Paul is able to grow into his body and develop a more solid playing foundation, Miami may have gotten a steal in the second round.

Grade: A

WATCH: Patrick Paul gets the call to learn he’s joining the Dolphins

Patrick Paul wanted to wind up with the Dolphins, so he was excited when he got the call from Miami on Friday night.

Shortly after picking offensive tackle Patrick Paul in the second round of the 2024 NFL draft, Miami Dolphins general manager Chris Grier said the lineman really, really wanted to wind up in aqua and orange.

“On the visit here, he had expressed to us, ‘I don’t want to be anywhere but here,’” Grier said. “And then all through early this morning up to our pick, it was a barrage of text messages, not from him, from his agent saying, ‘The kid is driving me crazy. He wants to be here.’”

Paul got his wish when the Dolphins called him up Friday to tell him that he would be the No. 55 overall selection in the second round. As you can imagine, the offensive tackle was excited to get the call.

“I knew that I wanted to be coached by coach [Mike] McDaniel and [offensive line] coach Butch Barry and it was amazing,” Paul told reporters later Friday night. “It was something I knew from the minute I started talking to them that I wanted to be a Miami Dolphin, so this is a blessing.”

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WATCH: Highlights of Dolphins 2nd-round draft pick Patrick Paul

See the Dolphins’ new offensive tackle in action during his impressive collegiate career.

The Miami Dolphins used their second-round pick in the 2024 NFL draft to select Houston offensive tackle Patrick Paul. It was obvious heading into the 2024 NFL Draft that the Dolphins needed to address the offensive line. Many mock drafts had the Dolphins using their first-round pick on a tackle or guard.

This draft class was loaded with offensive linemen, and they were in high demand during the first two rounds. At pick No. 55 overall, Paul was the 12th offensive lineman selected.

According to Pro Football Focus, Paul was on the field for 778 offensive snaps in 12 games last season for the Cougars and allowed just one sack and seven hurries. All of Paul’s snaps the last three seasons were at left tackle, suggesting he will likely start the season behind Terron Armstead.

Paul’s size is the attribute that jumps off the page. He stands at 6’8, 331 pounds and has a wingspan over seven feet. He is a physically imposing lineman who could develop into an exciting player for the Dolphins. Considering Armstead’s injury history, the Dolphins should waste no time getting Paul fundamentally ready to be a quality lineman at the NFL level.

To give fans a glimpse of Paul’s potential, here’s a highlight video of him in action:

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Houston Texans select Houston OT Patrick Paul with the 55th overall pick. Grade: B+

The Texans went hometown with the addition of Houston offensive tackle Patrick Paul, one of the more adept pass-blockers in this class.

Well, the Texans didn’t have to travel far to get a good look at Houston left tackle Patrick Paul, and Paul is a nice addition to a roster that’s nearly Super Bowl-ready at this point. With Laremy Tunsil manning the left side, it’s likely that Paul will move to the right side, Paul didn’t play a single snap of right tackle in his five years with the Cougars, but he has the athletic flexibility to do different things. Paul isn’t a pure power guy, but he’s one of the more adept technical pass-blockers in this class.  

Patrick Paul was a three-star recruit out of Jersey Village High School in Houston, Texas, and he went with his hometown school with few other offers. He became a full-time player in 2021, his third season with the Cougars, and by then, he had developed his pass-blocking acumen to an impressive degree. Last season, he allowed one sack, one quarterback hit, and seven quarterback hurries in 496 pass-blocking attempts. Any team with a pass-heavy offense will love him; the question with Paul is whether he has that dawg in him to use his frame to dominate opposing defenders when it’s time to run to daylight.

PLUSES

— Outstanding combination of size (6′ 7½”, 332), arm length, and technique. Paul comes off the plane just looking like a left tackle.

— Has a natural kick-step that allows him to control the arc with his feet under him. Not a ton of wasted movement.

— Paul is really good at catching aggressive pass-rushers who want to displace him by shoving him through the numbers.

— Not a lot of issues with games and stunts; Paul is an aware player with his head on a swivel.

— Has a decent sense of when to attack with his hands; I’d like to see more of that when he hits the NFL, though that’s a personal preference.

MINUSES

— Quick movement outside with his first step might leave him more vulnerable to inside and spin moves at the NFL level. Recovery speed is more decent than spectacular

— For a guy with his agility, Paul’s hit rate outside and upfield is an issue; he needs to work on attacking moving targets.

— Small hands (9⅜”, third-percentile among offensive tackles) may affect his ability to latch on and dominate in power situations.

— Needs some work in the run game to work quickly to seal the edge. You see it once in a while, but he can be a bit of a spectator when you want an alpha dog.

— Overall, I would love to see Paul get defenders on the track more often and just drive them off the screen, because he has the physical potential to do so.

If your preference is for a glass-eating, ass-kicking tackle, Paul will probably not be your favorite. I like him as a big, agile pass-protector with most everything you need in that department. In offenses where pass pro is the order of the day, he’ll be a fine developmental starter. More balanced teams might look at him a bit sideways.