Benched Bryant McKinnie traded from Ravens to tackle-needy Dolphins

Bryant Mckinnie (right) will bolster a Dolphins line that has allowed 26 sacks of QB Ryan Tannehill. (Doug Pensinger/Getty Images) Bryant McKinnie was a key

Bryant Mckinnie (right) will bolster a Dolphins line that has allowed 26 sacks of QB Ryan Tannehill. (Doug Pensinger/Getty Images)

Bryant McKinnie was a key piece in the Ravens' Super Bowl run last season, but the writing was on the wall for him in 2013, even before Baltimore traded for fellow offensive tackle Eugene Monroe. On Monday, after the Ravens dropped to 3-4 on the season, McKinnie was traded to the Miami Dolphins for undisclosed compensation. FOX's Jay Glazer first reported the trade.

McKinnie did not join the Ravens' starting lineup last season until the playoffs, as they reshuffled up front. He excelled in that brief window, as Baltimore ran off four straight victories to capture the Vince Lombardi Trophy. McKinnie reported to camp in August at nearly 360 pounds, though, and he faltered badly over the first five weeks of the regular season.

Baltimore pulled the trigger on a trade for Monroe between Weeks 4 and 5, then replaced McKinnie with the ex-Jaguar for Week 6. Rumors began circulating almost immediately that the Ravens were trying to move McKinnie, rather than leave him on the bench or release him (McKinnie signed a two-year, $6.3 million contract in May).

In the meantime, Miami found itself badly in need of some help at tackle. The Dolphins have been starting Jonathan Martin at left tackle and veteran Tyson Clabo on the right, but neither has been all that good. Clabo, in particular, has faltered -- he has allowed eight sacks this year and was credited for seven hurries on Sunday alone.

McKinnie could bump Clabo from the lineup and slide in at either LT or RT, with Martin, a 2012 second-round pick, manning the other spot.