Here are some relevant quotes:
Cameron, looking for a consistent protector of his quarterback's blind side, believes Carey has the ability to fill the role.
''He and I've talked about it,'' Cameron said. ``. . . He's excited about that opportunity, and this young man has a lot of ability, and I came in with an open mind. In my view we've got a guy who can develop into the kind of left tackle we're looking for.''
That is asking a lot of a player who only a year ago was a question mark at his familiar right tackle spot, a player who was a left guard and right tackle in college, a player who had a short experiment at left tackle his rookie year.
An experiment that failed.
But the Dolphins will nonetheless be mixing Carey and other players in the lab the next few days trying to conjure a starting offensive line.
L.J. Shelton, who has played left tackle most of his career, came to the Dolphins last season to fill that position. But in starting there the first five games, he was the lowest-graded starter along the line in three of those.
So the Dolphins moved him to right guard, where he played well enough to start the final 11 games of the season. Shelton was still at right guard during last month's minicamp but now will go to right tackle, a spot he has played only one of his eight NFL seasons, in 2004 with Arizona.
'In an ideal sense we don't want guys 330, 340, 350 pounds playing guard,'' Cameron said. ``We want guys that can think, and can move and are mobile. We'd like our bigger guys to be at tackle. Obviously they need to be athletic. L.J. has had a ton of time in this league playing tackle.'' But Shelton has never really found a home during that time.
The Cardinals, a team needing talent on the offensive line, released him in 2005. The Browns, also needing talent there, let Shelton leave in free agency after one season.
Other players might also get a chance at the tackle spots if the Shelton and Carey experiments explode in coaches' faces. Joe Toledo, at 6-5 and 330 pounds, might get a chance at tackle and, in fact, is listed as a tackle on roster. He played mostly guard during the 2006 preseason.
Anthony Alabi, who manned the left tackle spot in the last minicamp, might get a chance to compete at either tackle spot once he recovers from arthroscopic knee surgery.
All this while the interior of the line is also in flux.
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