The Miami Dolphins are 0-5 as the team is in their bye week, and with the trade deadline approaching on Nov. 10, they could be open to trading away any players that don’t fit the rebuild plans.
One of the potential names that could be on the move is veteran linebacker Willie Gay Jr., who wouldn’t be an expensive trade target for any team looking to add more depth to their defense, with his $1.2 million base salary this season, per Over the Cap.
The 28-year-old has played 159 total snaps for Miami this season, leading to a 51.4 overall PFF defensive grade. Gay has recorded 10 solo tackles, one total pressure, and six stops.
As for a potential landing spot, Justin Carter of FanSided believes that the Dallas Cowboys would make sense for the veteran.
“This is just one of those trades that makes perfect sense for both teams. The Miami Dolphins are arguably the worst team in the NFL, one of the three remaining winless teams,” Carter wrote in an Oct. 15 article.
“Willie Gay is on an expiring contract and plays linebacker, which is arguably the only position where Miami can lose a player without it making the team noticeably worse, as linebacker is essentially the only position where the team doesn’t have one of the league’s worst units.
“It’s so obvious that if any team comes to them with any offer for Gay, the Dolphins should just immediately say yes. The only thing that should matter for Miami is getting draft assets for the future, and if you can get what likely amounts to a mid-seventh for Gay, you do it.”
Cowboys’ Defense Needs All the Help It Can Get
Meanwhile, for the Cowboys, Carter believes that Dallas needs all the help they can get on defense, and having someone like Gay wouldn’t hurt their defense.
“Is Gay a “good” player at this point? That’s debatable, but we do know that he’s a decent rotational option in Miami, and his veteran presence could also serve as a boost to the younger players as well,” Carter added in his article. “At this point, the Cowboys just need serviceable bodies to throw out on the field, players who can increase the floor of this defense even if they don’t really increase the ceiling of it.
“Gay is a player like that at this point. This trade shouldn’t excite Cowboys fans, but there’s nothing wrong with making a low-risk, mid-reward move so that you might possibly not get killed as much on the defensive side of the football.”
Another Dolphins Veteran Could Be Moving Soon
Another potential veteran on the Dolphins that could be on the move is Zach Sieler. Recently, Bradley Locker of PFF floated Sieler as one of the potential trade deadline candidates to move. Regarding potential trade fits, Locker has the Minnesota Vikings and Green Bay Packers among the five possible destinations for the Dolphins veteran.
“Dolphins brass has been keen on trading older players on large deals, and the 31-year-old Sieler definitely qualifies,” Locker wrote in an Oct. 7 article.
“Franchises may try to tap into his pass-rush potential, which would leave Minnesota, Green Bay and Jacksonville — all of which rank in the bottom four for PFF pass-rush grade at the position — as possible destinations.”
Dolphins, Cowboys Floated in Trade Idea Involving $1.2M Veteran