The Best Potential Landing Spots for Terron Armstead in 2022 NFL Free Agency

Terron Armstead might not have the name-brand appeal of some of his contemporaries in the 2022 free-agent class, but the New Orleans Saints tackle could become the most impactful signing of all this offseason.

The nine-year veteran is ranked No. 2 on Pro Football Focus' list of impending free agents.

Armstead's elite pass protection, run-blocking versatility and athleticism are cited as the reasons the 30-year-old is considered a premier target as he prepares to hit the open market for the first time.

The Saints previously locked up Armstead—a third-round pick by the organization in 2013—on a five-year, $65 million extension at the conclusion of his rookie deal in 2016.

He's in line for a huge pay bump, and PFF projects him to earn around $19 million per season. That valuation will likely price some cash-strapped teams—including his current employer—out of contention for his services.

With that in mind, here is a look at five teams Armstead could land with.

With the Ben Roethlisberger era at an end, wholesale changes are coming in Pittsburgh.

Some of the most significant should be along the offensive line, where the Steelers had a litany of problems in 2021.

PFF put this unit No. 26 in its final rankings, highlighting Roethlisberger's lightning-quick release as a key reason it only allowed 142 pressures and 38 sacks.

The starters all drew concerning grades, especially left tackle Dan Moore Jr.'s 57.4.

Moore, a fourth-round rookie, played 1,079 snaps in 2021. He allowed seven sacks and five penalties, numbers that direly need to improve if he's to remain a starting tackle, and entrusting him with protecting Pittsburgh's next starting QB is a risky move.

Given that the Steelers are most likely going to try to find their long-term QB through the draft, per NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, they would be wise to allocate a good chunk of their $32 million in cap space on a top-end tackle such as Armstead.

While he has a history of minor injuries—he's yet to play a full campaign since entering the league—the three-time Pro Bowler is still a great bet to stick around Pittsburgh for the duration of his contract, helping to develop Roethlisberger's heir over the next few seasons.

After the Miami Dolphins fired head coach Brian Flores in January, more major changes—especially along the O-line—could come soon. 

The Dolphins had the NFL's worst line in 2021, according to PFF metrics, and no starter graded higher than a 67.4. Left tackle Liam Eichenberg drew the worst mark of all, earning an abysmal 50.7 for his efforts—which included 10 penalties incurred and nine sacks allowed—across 1,108 snaps.

If Miami is to improve upon a league-worst 235 pressures allowed, the front office must replace Eichenberg with a quality pass protector this spring. 

The Dolphins are flush with cash, as they sport a league-most $64.7 million in cap space.

The club has no better way to utilize this wealth than by splurging on a big contract for the top available offensive lineman.

Armstead's presence would help overhaul a dreadful unit, giving Tua Tagovailoa the protection he needs to become a franchise signal-caller.

The second-year QB averaged a meager 204.1 passing yards per game this season, more than only rookies Justin Fields and Zach Wilson among players to start at least 10 games.

While it's still unclear if the No. 5 pick in 2020 can be elite, Tagovailoa has gone 13-8 as a starter behind a terrible offensive line. 

The team has reportedly ended its pursuit of Deshaun Watson as well after being linked to the Texans signal-caller for much of the 2021 campaign. 

Getting a star left tackle in Armstead would greatly assist the Phins' quest to develop Tagovailoa and return to the playoffs after a half-decade hiatus.

It's not often a team reaches the Super Bowl with question marks across the offensive line, but the Cincinnati Bengals have defied the odds.

They gave up the third-most sacks in the league, and the 55 they conceded in 2021 was significantly more than any of the 13 other teams to make the postseason.

That concerning trend continued right through the playoffs, with star QB Joe Burrow taking a postseason-high 12 sacks in three games. Cincinnati even made history after giving up nine sacks and still winning a playoff contest.

While left tackle Jonah Williams has been one of the few above-average starting offensive linemen on Cincinnati's roster, the 24-year-old has been far from perfect.

Williams allowed eight sacks and four penalties in 1,044 snaps this season, earning a 77.5 PFF grade for his efforts.

Although the Bengals could keep Williams in his current role, they have a projected $56 million in cap space to play with. That is more than enough to make a run at the league's No. 1 free-agent offensive lineman.

If Cincinnati brings Armstead into the fold, it would allow Williams to shore up the right side of the line.

Right tackle has been a problem since Riley Reiff landed on injured reserve in mid-December, and Isaiah Prince allowed three sacks and took seven penalties on a mere 384 snaps this season.

Armstead would be an expensive fix, but Reiff is coming off the books this offseason, and a replacement is needed.

The Bengals should be all-in on keeping Burrow upright after the rising star QB led a Super Bowl run in only his second season.

The Chicago Bears need to make substantial line changes after Andy Dalton, Justin Fields and Nick Foles were taken down a league-worst 58 times in 17 games.

The moves will be part of a complete overhaul for the organization, which fired head coach Matt Nagy and GM Ryan Pace at the conclusion of the campaign.

With coach Matt Eberflus and GM Ryan Poles taking over, the team has big plans to turn things around this offseason.

Poles recently told reporters he's planning to be "selective" with his free-agent decisions and will be "relentless" to shore up roster problems:

"We're going to be selective in free agency, and we're going to connect evaluation with valuation. We're gonna have a relentless approach to fix our weakness. We're gonna maintain great self-awareness of who we are. We're gonna solve problems with open communication and candor, and we're gonna consistently put players in position to succeed."

If the Bears want to squeeze the most value out of their $30-plus million in cap space, they should look no further than Armstead.

The tackle was a key cog on a Saints offensive line that only allowed 37 sacks this past season.

New Orleans ranked in the top half of the league for sacks allowed despite a revolving door of subpar quarterbacks in Jameis Winston, Trevor Siemian and Taysom Hill.

With Fields set to go into a critical second season—and Eberflus saying he will design the offense around the No. 11 pick—getting an elite protector such as Armstead should be at the top of Chicago's free-agency to-do list.

The Indianapolis Colts have been hurting at left tackle since longtime blindside protector Anthony Castonzo retired following the 2020 campaign.

The team made do with Eric Fisher and Matt Pryor, but general manager Chris Ballard admitted at his year-end press conference that the club doesn't consider either player a desirable long-term option: "The left tackle is what the left tackle is. We short-term fixed it. We still have to be looking for a long-term solution there. And if we have to short-term fix it again because the long-term solution doesn't show up, that's what we'll do."

Even though it will take a decent chunk of the team's $37.8 million in cap space to get a deal done, Armstead would be an appropriate heir to Castonzo in Indy.

Fisher isn't a player the team will want assuming the left tackle role again in 2022.

He came back from a torn Achilles in Week 2 and excelled at opening lanes for emerging star running back Jonathan Taylor for much of the year but did a poor job of keeping quarterback Carson Wentz upright.

The No. 1 overall pick in 2013 allowed seven sacks and was flagged eight times across 874 snaps before being benched late in the season.

Pryor, a backup swing tackle for much of the campaign after heading over from the Eagles in a preseason trade, eventually took over for Fisher in the starting lineup.

The 27-year-old was solid, if unspectacular, in his 438 snaps this season but ultimately has a much lower ceiling than Armstead.

Acquiring the free agent would help the Colts become more balanced after ranking 30th in pass protection in 2021, per PFF.

All salary-cap projections courtesy of Spotrac. Advanced statistics via Pro Football Focus unless otherwise noted.