Kendall Lamm Ready to Hold Down O-line Till Terron Armstead Returns

Kendall Lamm played admirably against the Chargers as Terron Armstead replacement. How much longer will his services be needed?

Kendall Lamm doesn’t need, or want, you to believe.

The journeyman offensive lineman who will replaced Terron Armstead as the Miami Dolphins’ starting left tackle for the season opening 36-33 win over the Los Angeles Chargers would rather be doubted, second-guessed, criticized.

That’s the kind of energy this Appalachian State product, who entered the league as an undrafted rookie, has used his entire eight-year career to fuel his drive, power his determination, reset his resiliency.

He wasn’t supposed to be in the NFL, which is what former Dolphins co-offensive coordinator George Godsey told him his rookie season back in 2015 when he served in the same capacity with the Texans, the franchise that gave Lamm his NFL start, but “I’m still here.”

“I was really never supposed to be here,” said Lamm, who joined the Dolphins as a practice squad player last November and quickly worked his way up the depth chart, high enough to start the one game he played in before getting injured. “From my perspective, I was always supposed to be here.

“Two to three years ago when I was leaving Cleveland to go to Tennessee, my grandfather told me a nugget that shocked me, but it holds true to me today. He said, ‘When you told me you were going to the NFL when you were in college, to be honest with you I didn’t believe you.’

“That’s my own grandfather,” Lamm said. “I’ve heard this from year one. This is year nine and I’m still standing.”

Lamm played admirably against Chargers

Lamm started his 30th NFL game because of the ankle, knee and back injuries that will keep Armstead, Miami’s Pro Bowl offensive lineman and a team captain, and played admirably, keeping Joey Bosa and Khalil Mack sackless.

Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa was only hit twice, and both of those encounters were associated with misplaced, or mismanaged snaps.

And it's possible that Lamm might be called on to start Sunday's game against the New England Patriots because Armstead hasn't participated in full practice since last September, and might need a week or two to get in football shape once the ankle he injured a month ago in Miami's joint practices against Houston heals enough for him to participated in team periods.

Armstead returned to practice Wednesday, but was wearing a (no-contact) red jersey along with a full compression sleeve on his right leg.

Based on Lamm's performance on Sunday, it seems as if Armstead doesn't have to rush back. Sunday's battle against Patriots pass rusher Matt Judon, who delivered 15.5 sacks last season, and recorded one last week in New England's loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.

The Dolphins trusted Lamm enough to re-sign him in free agency, guaranteeing $100,000 of his $1.2 million salary this spring.

With a full offseason in Miami, he quickly locked down the top backup tackle spot, and spent most of this summer as one of training camp’s top performers.

“He uses every slight that’s happened to him to his advantage, not disadvantage,” head coach Mike McDaniel said of Lamm, who McDaniel claims has become a core leader in the Dolphins’ locker room.

We’ve discussed Kendall Lamm extensively since the first day of training camp on the All Dolphins podcast.

It’s put up or shut up time. https://t.co/h0HEpm5pLQ https://t.co/IWYMNptpwy pic.twitter.com/lvpj4qWbWP

— Omar Kelly (@OmarKelly) September 10, 2023

McDaniel praises Lamm for camp performance

“My confidence [level in him] is high, just because I see better than I hear and he’s shown me [he’s] as consistent, really, as anybody of what I can expect, what his teammates can expect from him, and that’s a guy that there’s nothing more important to him than what he needs to deliver on for himself and his teammates,” McDaniel continued. “Any time he’s on the field, I get excited for him because he’s been down the rigors of the NFL journey for a player that’s not a lottery pick, so to speak, and he’s coming out a better version than he went in.”

Even though Lamm will be facing one of the NFL’s best pass-rushing duos in Joey Bosa and Khalil Mack, the 31-year-old doesn’t seem fazed.

“Those are two names that everyone knows. But, to be very honest with you, one of my first starts in the NFL was Monday Night Football against DeMarcus Lawrence back when I was in Houston,” Lamm said, referring to the Cowboys' top pass rusher, a three-time Pro Bowl selection. “Anytime you’re going to work on the edge you’re going against a top-tier guy, no matter what.”