Can Dolphins let Vernon Carey loose?

As the start of free agency draws closer the pressure to get a deal done with some of the Miami Dolphins' free agents is mounting.

In my opinion the most critical, and possibly the most costly of Dolphins' free agents is tackle Vernon Carey, a four-year starter. Whether to retain Carey or not is one of the Dolphins' top 10 offseason decisions, which you can read more on here.

He's a proven commodity. At 27 he's still young. He's respected for his durability. He's got a year's worth of experience playing left tackle under his belt courtesy of the 2007 season. And the former Miami Hurricane is a hometown product who does good in the community.

But Carey and his representatives aren't looking to give the Dolphins a hometown discount. This former first-round pick is looking for a lucrative, multi-year deal that will set him and his family up for the rest of his life.

Even though right tackle isn't a position NFL teams break the bank for, Carey will likely be in demand if he hits the free agent market because he can play tackle on both sides, and has the versatility to play guard, the position he finished his college career at.

I'm told his representation is seeking a deal that pays him more than $20 million, with at least half of it guaranteed.

Placing the franchise tag on Carey is an option, but not a favorable one to the Trifecta.

The franchise tag, which would pay Carey $8.4 million for one season, could buy the Dolphins some time to work out a deal, or not.
Tagging him could put Carey in an undesirable pay-for-play situation, where he'd be forced to keep his weight down and production high considering he'd be entering another contract year in 2010.

Maybe the Dolphins would prefer Carey continue to have that carrot of a big payday hanging just out of his reach. But why pay $8.4 for one season when a contract that pays him $5-6 million a year would do?

Houston re-signed right tackle Eric Winston to a five-year, $30 million deal last season. That deal paid him a $6 million signing bonus, and $10 million in guarantees.

At the end of last season the Cowboys signed Trifecta find Marc Columbo, another right tackle, to a four-year contract reportedly worth $22 million, with $11.5 of it guaranteed to prevent Columbo from hitting the fee agent market.

If you average out those two recent contracts $5.75 million appears to be the going rate for a starting right tackle approaching the free agent market. But can the Dolphins fill that spot with cheaper labor?

Allowing Carey to leave through free agency would create a huge void on the team's most troublesome unit. But there might be cheaper alternatives on the free agent market.

Scouts also say this draft is full of talented tackle prospects. However, there will be a tremendous run on them early, just like there was in last year's draft, which featured Jake Long as the No. 1 pick.

The Dolphins presently have young tackles Nate Garner and Brandon Frye on the roster, and it's possible rookie Donald Thomas (6-4, 310) or Ikechuku Ndukwe (6-4, 325) could play that position. Both guards have the ideal size and the necessary skill-set to get the job done.

But it's unlikely any of those four would play the position at Carey's level for at least the 2009 season, which means the troublesome offensive line might take a step backwards.

So, now that you know most of the factors, can the Dolphins afford to balk at Carey's asking price, potentially letting him depart as a free agent?
Deuces.

(sun-sentinel.com)ve