Examining Armstead's Status ... for the Present and the Future

"Terron’s isn’t as serious as Isaiah’s," coach Mike McDaniel said, referring to Isaiah Wynn, the Dolphins' starting left guard whose season ended because of a quadriceps injury he suffered in late October. "It’s game to game, week to week.”

That would likely mean Kendall Lamm, who has started six games as Armstead's replacement this season, would return to the starting lineup as the 11-year veteran heals enough to participate in Miami's critical December games, which will dictate the team's playoff seeding.

However, Lamm was listed as questionable for the Jets game after being added to the injury report Friday morning. He played, but it's hard to tell whether his back issues are serious enough to keep him out of the starting lineup at this point. If that's the case, Miami would be forced to play Kion Smith at left tackle.

Even if Armstead finishes this season on the field, the Dolphins have to be concerned about the future availability of the 32-year-old, who has started 111 of the 115 games he's played since the former Arkansas Pine-Bluff standout become the New Orleans Saints' third-round pick in 2013.

Next season Armstead is guaranteed $8.25 million of his $13.25 million salary, and he has another $1 million tied to per game roster bonuses, which pays him an extra $58,823 for every game he participates in.

If the Dolphins decided to move on from Armstead next offseason, and a trade isn't involved, the team would lose $3.4 million in cap space, which means he's likely in Miami's plans unless he decides to retire, which is unlikely.

That likely means the organization is crossing its fingers and hoping that they can get at least one more productive, Pro Bowl-caliber season out of the forceful, but often fragile offensive tackle.