Miami Dolphins defensive end Phillip Merling is going to miss the entirety of the 2010 season, according to what a team source told Mike Berardino of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. Merling tore his Achilles tendon during team activities, so will draw his $600,000 salary this season. This injury is in addition to a criminal investigation into Merling regarding an incident with his pregnant girlfriend on May 27. Needless to say, not a great offseason for the 25-year-old. So with Merling out, what next? Well, this pretty much means that Dolphins first-round pick Jared Odrick has the inside track to start, as he had been Merling's backup during prior offseason practices. There is another option on the free agent wire, though. On July 21, we learned that the New York Jets would not be pursuing a new deal with Marques Douglas, and thus he was available to the highest bidder. Depending on how the team feels about Odrick, Douglas would make some sense, although we've gotten no confirmation that there has been any consideration given to this plan by the Dolphins. There's also the possibility of a trade. Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald brought up the possibility that the Fins could trade for Dallas Cowboys DE Marcus Spears, given that Bill Parcells drafted Spears in the first round back in 2005, and he's "fallen somewhat out of favor" in Big D. However, Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com reports that the Dolphins have not yet contacted the Cowboys regarding Spears.
