GM Salguero: Put Jared Odrick on the trade block

Watching from the sideline as NFL teams are beginning to divest of talent for salary cap reasons, I assume you know the  Dolphins don't have to cut any players for cap reasons but might want to do that with a couple of guys anyway.

I posted that potential Dolphins list right here a couple of weeks back.

But as this is a lead-the-pack blog not a catch-up blog we move forward to my next thought: And that is this is the time of year teams begin to inventory their talent and see how it fits and where it is lacking and how to make that which does not fit pay some sort of dividend.

And in pondering that, I look squarely at Jared Odrick.

Odrick is a Dolphins defensive end who just finished his third season with the team.

And he is interesting because he simply doesn't fit right now.

Although defensive coordinator Kevin Coyle defended Odrick during the season and made the point the kid is fine as a 4-3 defensive end, the truth is Odrick is not fine as a 4-3 defensive end. Odrick was drafted in 2010 by a team that ran a 3-4 defense to play five-technique. The five technique in the 3-4 is called the defensive end, but he's really more like a tackle.

The 3-4 defensive end has to be a great run-stopper and generally is a 300-pounder. If that player can rush the passer that's a huge plus, but it's not the end of the world if he's more of a run-stopper. And for that assignment Odrick is well-suited.

Odrick is a good run-stopper and has 11 sacks in 33 NFL games, which would be very good for a 3-4 DE.

But the Dolphins no longer run the 3-4. They are primarily a 4-3 team and the requirements for the defensive end in that alignment are different. A 4-3 DE must be a pass-rusher because that scheme doesn't employ linebackers to be the primary pass rushers. The ends are the primary pass rushers. And while the 4-3 DE should be solid against the run, that is not how they make their big money.

So to recap: A 4-3 DE must be a fine pass-rusher and run-stopping comes second. A 3-4 DE must primarily be an excellent run-stopper and pass rushing is secondary.

Everything about Jared Odrick screams 3-4 DE.

And having him out there as a 4-3 DE tells me the Dolphins don't have a legit 4-3 DE as a starter opposite Cameron Wake.

So what to do?

Well, the Dolphins will be looking to add a better fitting 4-3 DE somewhere in the draft. If they don't, something is wrong. And if that draftee becomes, well, a player then perhaps the Dolphins can toy with the idea of moving Odrick inside as a defensive tackle, where he's probably better suited.

But ...

If I were running the team or helping the general manager run the team, I'd be standing on the table suggesting the team trade Jared Odrick.

Why?

He's not a fit for the scheme. He was an investment for the last scheme and the last scheme is long gone. He's still got value around the NFL because a lot of NFL teams run 3-4 defenses. But his value is greater to those teams than the Dolphins. Remember that the St. Louis Rams paid $6 million per season to Kendall Langford to sign as a free agent 3-4 DE. If Randy Starks hits free agency, he'll be asking upwards of $8 million per season.

Odrick is going to cost $700,000 next year and only $765,000 in 2014. That's a long way from $6-$8 million.

It makes sense to put Odrick on the trade block because perhaps a team such as Denver or San Francisco might give up a very low first-rounder for him. Or a team like Oakland might give up a very high second or third rounder for him -- assuming it has that ammunition.

I cannot be certain this is true because he's not on the trade block right now. But you put him there to gauge interest. Let's see what happens. One cannot catch fish unless you dangle bait.

(And now the peanut gallery complains that Odrick is a former first-round pick and giving him up for anything less than a first rounder is bad value).

Look, it's not a great situation. But did you read the part where he's not a fit at DE for a 4-3 team? Remember that part? This is a huge year for linemen in the draft. Perhaps giving up some value to get a pick that will bring a legitimate 4-3 DE is better than using a shoehorn to try to make a 302-pound 3-4 end fit the 4-3.

The Dolphins can take the draft pick it gets for Odrick and use it or add it to other ammo they already have in the first couple of rounds of this coming draft to trade up for a better player.

And that player might actually be a fit for the schemes the Dolphins now run.

Comments

[ZakMan]

The fact that he is so cheap over the next two seasons is a reason that the Phins should keep him and try to make it work with him inside. If he can successfully move inside, he'd be a great replacement for Starks if and when he leaves in free agency. I believe in Odrick based on what I've seen and, as much as I love Starks, he's going to want a lot of money during an offseason where skill players and pass-rushers will be top priority.

[tannethrill]

If Starks becomes too expensive then I say move Odrick inside.If we sign Starks then I suppose trade him assuming we're getting at least a late 2nd.

[Ray Finkle]

Its pretty simple. ditch Starks and move Odrick inside and draft a 4-3 end opposite Wake and let him compete with Vernon.

Problem solved. Why trade Odrick and potentially lose starks giving you 2 holes to fill.

Of all the free agents Starks and Clemmons are OK to be set free as far as i'm concerned.

[Jo Va Fo Langostina]

All can be fortuitous pearls to swine in football as with Bette Davis and gorgeous fabrics.

Jared Odrick is a tuned guitar on the frequency of Venus Maha Rani Krishna.

Coach Philbin would be foolish pancake batter to trade him or create solar flares.

Es Verdad

[GAfin]

The logic in this article makes zero sense. You have a young, productive and cheap player in odrick who can replace Starks and save the team 7mil they can spend on an impact free agent. Why would we trade odrick and then likely resign Starks or gamble we can use the draft pick for odrick on a dt who is as good or better than odrick or Starks? Makes no sense. Plus there would likely be little drop off in production replacing Starks w odrick.

[Ronnie Cruickshank]

Starks will likely cost too much to keep so JO will move over to DT. Even if that were not to happen you must be on exceptional weed if u think anyone will give up a 1st round pick for Odrick! You must be really short of ideas for stories if this is the best you can come up with. In the words of Steely Dan that must be very "fine Colombian"!

[Scott]

How many of his sacks came from the DE positon vs DT position? If you have a DT who can hold against the run and rush the passer effectively, he's a pretty valuable commodity. With Soliai occupying 2 blockers, I'd be interested in seeing what Odrick could do to disrupt the passing game from the DT position with Wake and another true 4-3 DE on the other side.

[boooooooooring]

Broncos or 49ers giving up a first rounder for Odrick? Pick up an aspirine Mando. You're back from New Orleans.

[Warfield42]

Armando, ya essentially answer the very dilemma your article is based on by the logic with which you wrote the article. Randy Starks will want to be paid, and he deserves to be. We have a 'luxury' at the DT position in that we have Odrick sitting on the roster at a relatively low cap # for the next 2 years. Odrick IS NOT Randy Starks, but he IS solid and can adequately transition into a more natural position for his self - DT. We have to let Randy Starks walk unfortunately. Its a trade off & unfortunate because we lose a VERY good player - but he is not approx. $7 million worth greater than Odrick value wise. We 'could' keep both & pay Starks? I'm just not sure thats the right thing to do financially in the long run. But to trade Odrick? Makes no sense. We'd get no better than a late 2nd (if that) - more likely a 3rd & thats just not sound value or judgement. We will draft a pass rush guy to compete with Vernon O. which almost defaults Odrick inside. not sure where in the draft they go after 'that' guy but they definately will at some point in the 1st 3 Rds. - where you 'expect' immediate impact.

[Mark]

I guess it all depends on what we do with Starks. If we trade Odrick and then let Starks walk,it just creates more of a problem imo.

My preference is that we let Starks walk (quality player though) and just let Odrick play inside and then sign a DE in FA or grab one in the draft.

Theres also no way any team gives up a 1st,2nd or 3rd rounder for Odrick. Lucky to get a 4th imo.

[Cavemanna]

You lost me when you mentioned his salary was in the 700 thousand range. A solid player who is young hasn't peaked and could possibly move around on the line for 700 grand, you don't trade that.

[Turd Ferguson]

As many 1st & 2nd rounders as they can get at this stage. Just the price tag for Odrick should make any de needy GM drool. These are the kind of moves that Ireland has been lacking. Proactive, not reactive.

[jordan]

Trading Odrick is silly IMO. Let Starks go and move Odrick inside to man DT with Soliai

[Mark]

He was a 4-3 DT at Penn State.

[Jaygunn]

The best you can get for his is 5th round, at best...(Some team with the same mentality as the Dolphins) In all reality, he'll fetch a 6th, to a 7th round pick.. Average football player at best... Telling it like it is..

[greg z.]

we almost never do well in trades. in his last 3 games with the colts vontae davis had 18 tackles,5 passes defensed and 3 int's. in addition we gave away brandon marshall for egnew who cant see the field. how bout giving up 3 picks for daniel thomas?

[Rob M]

It was a stupid pick from the start. A mid first round pick on a 3-4 run stopping DE??? Really??? And some people still wonder why the dolphins are in the state they are in.

[promichael]

Armando says:

The Dolphins can take the draft pick it gets for Odrick and use it or add it to other ammo they already have in the first couple of rounds of this coming draft to trade up for a better player.
======================================================
Well I would agree that trading up in the 2nd or 3rd rounds using Odrick may work to the Dolphins advantage. The Dolphins traded down and got Odrick in the 1st round. Moving Odrick inside may end up being a better choice. What is done will most likely depend on what is done with Randy Starks.

[Steve-o]

I like this type of out of the box thinking but I wouldn't do that unless we were offered a 1st round pick. He is a productive, versatile DL with a great work ethic and he is cheap. That's hard to find. I might trade him player for player.... maybe a younger productive corner or 4-3 end but not for a second rounder.

[MOKIKI'S SLOPPY SWISH]

Armando,

This is the most out of whack article you have wrote in a long time. We will never get anything close to a 1st or 2nd. A 3rd rounder is a reach.

You are giving this kid no chance to grow at DT. Starks is gone. You move Odrick inside and draft another DT in the later rounds or FA pick up to challenge.

[scottbibs]

I like Randy Starks but 8 mil is a lot, maybe they should move odrick inside after all, the only way we can win our division while Tom Brady is still playing is to put pressure on him it has proven to work, and also we really need to start scoring points if we have another season of 7-9 or less than Ireland should be let go.

[dadsmithwest]

The team needs him to move inside and that doesn't necessarily mean that you let Starks walk. His salary is ideal and the guy is still young. There are too many other areas to work on that are bigger concerns...like the secondary and WR/TE so why create holes?

[billcale]

Armando, I suspect that anybody on this blog would agree with you on trading Odrick for a #1 in the draft. But, seriously, a #3? A #2 might even be questionable because Odrick appears to have more value to the team as a DT- with or without Starks.

Coaches thought Odrick's played well at DT this year and therefore he is a good, inexpensive replacement for Starks should Starks leave in FA or in rotation if McDaniel leaves. As you have pointed out, the team could have used a good pass rushing DE in 2012 and moving Odrick to DT gives the team all the more reason not to chase Starks and find a good DE in FA or the draft.

If cap space/fit is the topic, Carlos Dansby, Richard Marshall and Dimitri Patterson are better targets. All three have oversized cap hits and don't play up to pay grade at their respective positions.

[promichael]

Why is Odrick so cheap? Was he a stretch being drafted #28 in the first round? 'He's productive and works hard', but is he just an average talent? So why was he drafted in the first round? 4-3 or 3-4 is he to big and slow to be anything but a very average player in the NFL? I'm just wondering is it time to unload a DL who is just an average player at best.

[benz]

Judging by Coyle's comments that inside is not the best position for him, he must not have the run stopping skills of a DT, but he must be a decent run stopper at least, as a 3-4 DE-so problem seems to be if Starks re-signs, leaving Odrick out of position as a 4-3 DE (and its obvious that he's not much of a pass rusher)--so I like the idea of at least "dangling" to see what you could get but I'd only take a 2nd rdr or better.....he's too cheap and solid to trade for a 3rd, BUT, they do still need to draft another pass rusher, definitely.....gotta get more consistent pressure on the QB, unless they feel Vernon is ready to fill that role

[kingsmith]

A

[KingShula]

I am opposed to the idea of this blog.Odrick can play in the NFL and is relatively cheap.Move him to a position he is better suited, and draft a pass rusher if you dont acquire one in free agency.If I trade Odrick It wont be for a draft pick you never know what you get(remember Egnew everybody does)I would trade him for a receiver or a TE then at least I could fill holes in those positions without giving away talent in hopes of getting a gem in the draft at Odricks position.

[benz]

Rob, at least get your facts straight.......he was drafted 28th in Rd 1, literally at the end of the round.....hardly a "mid first round pick"

[benz]

Pro M.....he's probably still on his rookie contract or close (as to why he's so cheap)

[dadsmithwest]

If given the choice which is what Ireland/Philbin have right now. I'd rather move Odrick inside, let Starks walk and use his money to sign an established DE. If you're going to pay 8 mil for Starks why not spend the same or a little more and get a Kruger, M. Johnson or Avril?

[oscar canosa]

Yo write so many non-sensical things it's unbelievable. Why get rid of a 23 y/o who is strong as an ox and comes cheap? Rather, pair him up with Soliai in the middle and trade Starks. No?

[#1 Dolphin Fan in Montreal]

Bad idea...Don't agree at all...First of all, who knows if we'll re-sign Randy Starks...Not so sure...You want to lose both Starks and Odrick? Even if Ireland gets a draft pick, who's to say he'll draft a great def lineman?? His track record speaks for itself...What they should do instead of trading another first round pick is move him inside where he belongs...Next to big Paul....And yeah, they should look for another pass rushing DE, either in the draft of FA...Trading Jared Odrick makes zero sense to me...Sorry Armando...

[benz]

agree with dadsmith......and oscar, I dont believe they can trade Starks bec he's already a FA (I think)

[Nj]

Odrick is more of a tackle anyway that's the move to make let Starks walk unless he signs cheap

[Ireland's Republican Army]

Odrick was taken near the END of the first round. So why would posters expect him to be more than a mediocre player? If Jeff Ireland says there is good value in trading him for a third round pick, then let's do it. It's not as if there is any reason to doubt Jeff Ireland's personnel genius.

[b33rca53]

he fits in at DT not DE... you move him inside not dump talent.

[oscar canosa]

What does it take to play inside in a 4-3? I don't know the intricacies of it but it doesn't seem to me like the QB position. Besides, Odrick is a highly Educated one and can overcome any physical deficits he might have.

[Phin 4]

Did he say a 1 or 2 for this guy ? I think your lights are still out with the Super Bowl, lets be real this kid is a Good Backup, he is cheap why move him ??? Lets be honest he should nt even been on the team WE PASSED ON EARL THOMAS, for this kid at a time when we was Dt heavy and no skilled safeties, the great Bill Purcell (smh), he just as bad as the guy who wrote this ...

[ALoco]

ODRICK IS VERY LUCK MAN...A GUY WITH METAL RODS IN HIS FOOT ,HE GOT PAID 14 MILLION IN 4 YEARS FOR DOING NO WHILE WE LIVING IN THE CELLAR........

ARMANDO.........YOUR ARTICLE IS 4 YEARS LATE

[Nj]

We have more problems to worry about than odrick don't you think

[CommonSense]

Odrick is a solid player, I think trading him would be a bad idea. Just create another hole. Also...

"This is a huge year for linemen in the draft. Perhaps giving up some value to get a pick that will bring a legitimate 4-3 DE is better than using a shoehorn to try to make a 302-pound 3-4 end fit the 4-3."

^If that is true, why would a team give up said draft pick when they could just draft a guy?

[oscar canosa]

You can expect a Mass Cleanup and the following Starters gone: Starks, Dansby, SS, Clemons. On O, Long, Bush, Incognito, Fasano, Bess.

[promichael]

Ireland's Republican Army says:
Odrick was taken near the END of the first round. So why would posters expect him to be more than a mediocre player?
=====================================================
Do you realize how naive that is?

[DC Dolfan]

That's an interesting thought Mando. And I'd probably test the waters. Of course, if we lose Starks, then the dline starts thinning out (which is not what we need right now).

But that brings up another issue: how continuously moving from GM to GM, HC to HC, hurts teams. We had one group come in, and turn a 4-3 team to a 3-4. The GM obliged by acquiring talent to fit that scheme. Then that crew gets bounced within a few years, and another staff gets hired and changes back to a 4-3. Now all those players just brought in are ill-suited (or at least not drafted for) the new system. Hence the team spends YEARS re-building from past re-building, and it's a vicious cycle which they never emerge victorious.

Goes against my past thinking, but best best might just be stick with this staff for enough time to let things play out, and if not, make sure the next staff is willing to run the SAME system (with maybe a few modifications).

[oscar canosa]

Perhaps we won't get to the SB next Season, but we will be sparkling new and ready to roll.

[oscar canosa]

Yes, DC, yes. Makes the most sense to me also.

[mace taggart]

Maybe Armando is trying to tell you clueless ignorant Dolphins fans that maybe he SUCKS !! You're roster except for your K-P-Wake-Tannehill your team truly SUCKS !! Seriously the scary part is your coach is smart enough to realize this, your roster really SUCKS ignorant&clueless Dolphins fan J.Odrick instead of E.Thomas or Dez Brryant come on now ignorant Dolphins fan join the rest of the nfl it is 2013 not 1973 so damn ignorant as a fanbase patheticly sad !!!

[Pete G]

Armando your fired! You don't get rid of good and reasonably priced players!

Keep Odrick as very cheap and starter caliber insurance. You can't have enough depth on defensive line.

Now go assume your position on the bench beside Randy Mueller.

[oscar canosa]

I think it all hinges on the HC, DC. No chance we could have stayed with CC and Sparano. I see no reason why Philbin will not work out even if he won't be another Lombardi.

[NO HANDOUTS FOR BILLIONAIRES]

A proposal that would provide the Miami Dolphins with a multimillion-dollar tax deal to help renovate Sun Life Stadium was not included on Miami-Dade state lawmakers' legislative priority list, the Miami Herald's Naked Politics blog reported Wednesday night.

The delegation met Wednesday to set out goals for 2013, the blog reported, quoting Rep. Jose Felix Diaz, R-Miami, as saying: "The Dolphins bill is one of many member bills that was not discussed. Not one legislator moved to make the Dolphins bill one of our priorities."

[#1 Dolphin Fan in Montreal]

Wasn't Olivier Vernon drafted to be that pass rushing DE we're looking for? I guess he's not part of the conversation anymore...Special Teams guy probably...Another great draft pick by Jeffrey...We had 2 third round picks and we got a special teams guy and a bust...How does this guy keep his job is a big mystery..

[SteFin]

Never rolled that log over looking for acorns, good insight Mondo!!!!!!!!!!!!! I like the concept lot of talent available if it's a top 50 pick.

[Fire Ireland]

Armando should be our GM. Fire Irescum now!

[mike]

Odrick = Another Ireland bust

[mace taggart]

How can I forget your franchise player, the face of the Dolphins M.Pouncey how this kid didn't make the pro bowl is a damn joke !! Pouncey 15 years from now will be in Canton no doubt about it !! Clueless&ignorant Dolphins fans !!

[Jay]

If we could get a 3rd rd pick for Odick....TAKE IT!

[billcale]

While most appear content to let Starks walk in FA, he is the anchor of the DL and his leaving presents complications- he take about two-thirds of the snaps. Tony McDaniel is also a FA and in rotation, takes about one-third of the snaps. Paul Soliai takes about one-half of the snaps.

With Soliai, Starks, McDaniel at work, the run defense is good. If Starks and McDaniel are lost and Odrick is moved to DT, a backup becomes extremely important in order to continue a good rotation.

[#1 Dolphin Fan in Montreal]

Ross should do everything he can to get Eric DeCosta before Ozzie retires...

[LOL]

Pouncey? The face of the Dullfins? LMAO!!

[#1 Dolphin Fan in the World]

Ross should do everything he can to sell te team to someone with a clue.....