The Jaguars are working to finalize a trade sending Julius Thomas to Miami for Branden Albert

2/19/2017

The Jaguars appear to be on the verge of acquiring a left tackle with aPro Bowl pedigree.

By Jordan de Lugo

According to Omar Kelly of the Sun Sentinel the Jaguars and the Dolphins are working to finalize a trade that would send the Jaguars tight end Julius Thomas to Miami in exchange for the Dolphins left tackle Branden Albert.

Julius Thomas has been a major disappointment since he signed a 5 year $46 million contract with the Jaguars in 2015. He's missed 13 games games in two seasons and found the end zone only 9 times following a two year run in Denver that saw him cross the goal line an amazing 24 times. At only 28 years old Thomas should still have something left in the tank and is a natural fit for the Dolphins who are now coached by Thomas' former offensive coordinator in Denver Adam Gase.

On the other side Albert too has had his struggles with injuries. Since joining the Dolphins in 2014 he has missed 13 games himself and has played a full 16 games only once in his nine year career. Also similar to Thomas it appears that Albert should have something left in the tank. Albert made the Pro Bowl as recently as 2015 and doesn't appear to have lost a step. It became obvious the Dolphins would move on from Albert after the emergence of rookie offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil towards the end of 2016.

When Omar Kelly caught up with Albert to talk about the Dolphins parting ways with the veteran left tackle, Albert had this to say regarding joining a new team and what to expect from him in the future.

If a team (is) putting faith in me then I'm going to give you faith back. I'll give you a man that's convicted and shows loyalty . . . The main thing I bring is leadership, BUT I hear people saying I don't got it. I hear you and I'm putting this out there, and I don't talk - keep talking and saying I don't got it and you'll see.

Embed from Getty Images

Needless to say Branden Albert looks ready to move on from Miami and seemingly feels he still has a lot to prove. The Jaguars will certainly see this as a positive step in the right direction towards winning in 2017. Albert has the pedigree and skill set to lock down the left side of the line - that is IF he can stay on the field.

The trade cannot become official until the start of the new league year on March 9th and according to Kelly may be continent upon both players restructuring their current contracts.

This would seemingly be the final nail in the coffin for Kelvin Beachum's incredibly short career in Jacksonville, whose team option wasn't picked up before the dead line earlier this week. Beachum will certainly land on his feet if he indeed does hit the free agent market.

Stay tuned for more Jaguars news and analysis!

And please give us a follow:

JAGUARS NEWS