When the Miami Dolphins made the decision to trade starting left tackle Laremy Tunsil to the Houston Texans, many fans bemoaned the decision to further neglect the offensive line. After all, the Dolphins’ line was already leaky with Tunsil in the picture — how in the world were they going to get better with Tunsil gone?

That’s a great question — and one that can be answered in a number of different ways. Yes, the Dolphins have stockpiled draft picks left and right — but there’s also the matter of free agency at hand. The Dolphins’ interest in DE Trey Flowers last spring indicates that while Miami may not be heavyweight spenders anymore, they’re willing to invest in the right players to boost their system. And with over $120M in cap space projected for next season, they’ll need to spend money on someone.

The Dolphins are not facing any significant departures in free agency next year, so the team is free to spend willingly and without fear of the ramifications for future compensatory picks either.

But the offensive tackle market for free agency in 2020 is a little thinner today than it was a few days ago — as the Dallas Cowboys continued their spending spree this summer by signing offensive tackle La’el Collins to a long-term deal.

Collins was widely considered expendable to Dallas, given their depth up front and the team’s need to spend big money to retain their core of Dak Prescott, Ezekiel Elliott, Jaylon Smith, Amari Cooper and others. But alas, Collins will be locked into the Cowboys for years to come, leaving Miami with one less option to help fill the void left in Tunsil’s absence.