Dolphins hope to reunite Terron Armstead with former Saints OL coach Frank Smith

Check a couple of different NFL free agent rankings around the Internet and you’ll often see Terron Armstead ranked near the top of the list — if not in the top spot altogether. The longtime New Orleans Saints left tackle is one of the most coveted left tackles available, and he’s visiting the Miami Dolphins on Monday with a good chance that they don’t let him leave the building.

Miami has all the motivation to make Armstead one of the highest-paid players at his position (I wrote more on his fit with the Dolphins here), with first-year head coach Mike McDaniel having seen the benefits of an elite left tackle firsthand. Last season he had a front-row seat to the weekly highlights Trent Williams put together with the San Francisco 49ers. If he can land Armstead, he’ll have his own foundational left tackle to build around.

And the Dolphins could get some help in recruiting Armstead with offensive coordinator Frank Smith, who previously worked as the Saints’ assistant offensive line coach from 2010 to 2014. He helped scout, draft, and develop Armstead back in 2013 before taking a promotion elsewhere; over the years since he’s coached tight ends and the offensive line on his own before earning this opportunity in Miami. He’s someone who shares history with Armstead and that familiarity could go a long way. It’s also worth remembering the Dolphins signed former Saints backup quarterback Teddy Bridgewater this offseason, so there’s another connection, however much it’s worth.

Paying Armstead top dollar would help, too. He’s rightfully looking for a top-of-the-market contract paying out more than $20 million per year, which the Saints aren’t really positioned to match. Sure, they could go there if they wanted to — but past extensions with tackles Ryan Ramczyk and James Hurst, combined with Armstead’s extensive injury history, might sway their mind. So much hinges on whether the Dolphins are willing to make an offer Armstead can’t refuse. All Saints fans can do at this point is sit and wait to see if major change is on the way.