Losers of six consecutive games, there’s a darn good chance that the Miami Dolphins are going to go into full-scale sellers mode ahead of the Nov. 2 NFL trade deadline.
Miami entered the season with playoff aspirations after a surprising 10-win 2020 campaign. Unfortunately, an injury to quarterback Tua Tagovailoa coupled with other major issues on offense has led to what promises to be a lost season in South Beach.
The backdrop here is a head coach in Brian Flores who is on the hot seat and a general manager, Chris Grier, who is expected to be active before the trade deadline. Below, we look at four ideal moves the Fins should make to take into account both their short-term struggles and hopes of long-term contention.
Miami Dolphins trade Xavien Howard
Howard might be one of the best cornerbacks in the NFL. He’s led the league in interceptions two of the previous three seasons. With that said, his presence isn’t going to make a major difference for this iteration of the Dolphins. Why not try to get something valuable in return for the expensive defensive back? That’s especially true with another high-priced corner in Byron Jones still in South Beach.
There’s an argument that can be made that Howard is worth a first-round pick and change. Regardless of other moves Chris Grier might make, selling high on a defensive back who will be entering his Age-29 season makes a ton of sense. Perhaps, the Kansas City Chiefs coming calling.
Miami Dolphins trade DeVante Parker
It’s been time for Miami to pull the plug on the Parker experiment for a while now. The injury-plagued wide receiver has now missed the past three games. In four outings this season, he’s tallied all of 17 catches for 242 yards while hauling in a mere 53.1% of his targets.
Given Parker’s injury issues and relatively expensive contract ($9.5 million cap hit in 2022), Miami can’t expect to get a whole lot in return. Even if it is for a mere conditional late-round pick, moving off this contract and giving Miami’s young pass catchers more play should be in the cards.
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Miami Dolphins trade Tua Tagovailoa
Where there’s smoke, there most certainly is fire. This sophomore quarterback actually had to talk to the media about Deshaun Watson trade rumors following the Miami Dolphins’ most-recent loss. This seems to be an indication that Miami’s brass, owner Stephen Ross included, is not sold on Tua Tagovailoa after just 13 regular-season starts.
If that’s the case, the possibility of moving off Tua before things become toxic makes a ton of sense. He’s still just 23 years old and could bring back an early-round pick or two. Teams like the Washington Football Team, Denver Broncos and Carolina Panthers have been linked to the former top-five pick.
5 ideal Tua Tagovailoa trade scenarios
Miami Dolphins trade for Deshaun Watson
There’s no written rule that says a team must go all in with a rebuild or load up to contend for a title. Rather, there’s this thing called retooling on the fly. Hence, Miami’s reported interest in acquiring Deshaun Watson in a trade with the Houston Texans.
Sure a move of this ilk would be risky given Watson’s off-field issues. It might also not be a great PR look in South Beach for the Dolphins to trade for Watson before his legal situation is settled. Even then, desperate times call for desperate matters. If Miami can get some conditions included in the picks it sends to Houston for this elite-young signal caller, the team seriously has to consider making the move. All things equal, Watson is a game-changer. He’d be the best quarterback in Miami since Dan Marino. If you can make that happen, do it.