Terron Armstead breaks silence on the brutal details of playing with the knee injury that ultimately spurred retirement from Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins and former offensive tackle Terron Armstead are both heading into uncharted waters this summer. Miami braced for the inevitability of life without Armstead last spring when the team drafted Patrick Paul in the second-round of the 2024 NFL Draft. Paul is now tabbed to fill the role full-time and how he performs […]
The Miami Dolphins and former offensive tackle Terron Armstead are both heading into uncharted waters this summer. Miami braced for the inevitability of life without Armstead last spring when the team drafted Patrick Paul in the second-round of the 2024 NFL Draft. Paul is now tabbed to fill the role full-time and how he performs will go a long way in determining the outlook of Miami's line.
That’s because, of course, Armstead is headed into life without playing football. Terron announced his retirement this spring. He will likely find some avenue to stay involved with the game, as he’s been a great ambassador for offensive linemen through his mentor skills and involvement in the “OL Masterminds” program each offseason. But his playing days are over, due in large part to the deterioration of his body in recent years. Armstead appeared on ‘Nightcap’ with Shannon Sharpe and Chad Johnson this week and disclosed just how bad it had gotten between Sundays during his time with the Dolphins.
“I’ve been dealing with a knee (injury) since my third year in the league. I didn’t see a practice field like, at all, and not because I didn’t want to or the Dolphins just wanted me to rest. It’s like I literally couldn’t walk. You know, after a game on Sunday, I wouldn’t be able to walk own my own, under my own power, until Wednesday (or) Thursday. So I was only able to play under the pain meds, I couldn’t put any pressure on my knee, so it was like ‘I can’t keep doing that to myself, man’.”
It was no secret that Armstead’s knee has been a central theme amid his struggles to keep playing at a high level and stay on the field. Armstead did disclose that he would need a knee replacement when he announced his decision to retire. But these new details underscore just how hard it was for Armstead to suit up and play.
He alluded to the challenges of playing with it at one point last fall, suggesting that in time, the depths he was going through to suit up would come to light. The time, it seems, is now.
This is the latest example of the nasty underbelly of the game, and it should amplify the respect Armstead commands from football fans as he rides off into the sunset. Especially Saints and Dolphins fans who watched Armstead put his body on the line to play at such a high level through this degree of adversity for so long.
It’s a retirement well earned. And, for whatever comes next for Armstead, here’s hoping it’s a little less taxing on his body for the first half of each week in the fall.
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Make no mistake. There's a whole lot of ballgame left between now and the start of the 2025 regular season. The Miami Dolphins are set to undergo mandatory mini-camp next week starting on Tuesday, the latest litmus test for Miami amid the team's offseason of change. There's a lot of new (and young) faces on […]
