Vernon Carey was an 6'5", 340 pound offensive lineman and four-year letterman for the University of Miami Hurricanes. He was a two-time member of the All-Big East second-team, and a third-team All-American in 2003. Miami selected him in the first round of the 2004 NFL Entry Draft, with the 19th overall pick.
Carey appeared in 14 games in his rookie season, starting two at right tackle in the middle of the season. The Dolphins ended up posting a 4-12 record. Their poor finish guaranteed the second pick in the 2005 draft, which allowed Miami to eventually select running back Ronnie Brown.
In 2005, Carey was slated as the Dolphins starting left tackle, but was moved to right tackle before the season started. He ended up starting 14 of 16 contests for Miami as the offensive line surrendered only 26 sacks. After a 3-7 start, the Dolphins reeled off six consecutive wins to finish 9-7, narrowly missing a playoff berth.
2006 would see the Dolphins post a 6-10 record, as Carey started all 16 games at right tackle. He was finally moved to left tackle in 2007, and would again start every game as the Dolphins finished at 1-15, by far their worst season ever. With the first pick of the draft, the Dolphins would get Carey some help, adding formidable left tackle Jake Long to the fold.
The Dolphins returned to relevance in 2008, winning the AFC East Division title with an 11-5 record. Carey continued his consecutive starts streak, playing every game back at right tackle, where he allowed only six sacks (according to profootballfocus.com). He signed a six-year contract after the season to remain a Dolphin.
In 2009, Carey started 16 games at right tackle, allowing only four sacks all season as Miami finished with a 7-9 record. 2010 would see Carey sustain a knee injury in a week 12 13-10 loss to the Cleveland Browns, a game that dropped the Dolphins to 6-6. The injury ended his season after 12 games at right tackle. It also put a stop to his consecutive starts streak at 86 games, as Miami finished 1-3 without him in the lineup.
Miami dropped to 6-10 last season as Carey was moved to right guard, starting 15 games. Hopefully, Carey remains with the team next season, but there's a lot of interest out there for his services.