The Miami Dolphins are already 0-4 and don’t seem to have a ton of hope for digging out of the big hole they currently find themselves in.
That makes the rest of this season about playing for their future — figuring out which players and strategies can be part of what they do in years ahead to be better than they are right now.
The winless start also brings the potential for intriguing transactions. The Dolphins don’t need to make win-now moves, but they could seek out talented players who might need a change of scenery.
A player like Brian Thomas Jr., for example.
BTJ is a wide receiver for the Jacksonville Jaguars in his third year out of LSU. He made the Pro Bowl as a rookie, struggled a bit last year and has hit the wall even more this season.
Thomas is involved in plenty of trade rumors, and maybe a landing spot like the Dolphins could work. He’d have no pressure, and he’d get a fresh start.
In a new article by Bleacher Report’s Alex Kay, that’s the pitch — the Dolphins should trade for Thomas, he writes.
Brian Thomas Jr. Dolphins Trade Pitch
The proposed deal by Kay would cost the Dolphins a 2027 third-round pick to acquire Thomas.
It’s in the same ballpark as other recent trades for talented wide receviers, so it would be a fair cost.
While it’s far more likely the ‘Phins will become a seller leading up to the November 10 trade deadline, they could take a stab at trying to win some games this year while also preparing for the future by trading for Jacksonville Jaguars wideout Brian Thomas Jr.
“Thomas’ value has plummeted as his sophomore slump has continued into his third NFL season,” Kay writes. “Although the 2024 first-round pick quickly jumped out as one of the league’s top wideouts when he tallied 1,282 yards and 10 touchdowns on 87 receptions as a rookie, it’s gone completely downhill since. With BTJ only posting a 48/707/2 stat line last year and contributing just 105 yards and one score on nine catches over the first four weeks of 2026, a split with the Jags is starting to feel inevitable.”
There wouldn’t be a ton of risk here for Miami.
“Miami could capitalize on Thomas’ potential availability and take a cost-effective shot at unearthing its next WR1,” Kay writes. “If the 23-year-old were to return to the elite form he displayed as a rookie, the Dolphins could lock him down to a long-term extension and develop him alongside whichever passer they wind up drafting to create the nucleus of the passing game for years to come. At worst, the ‘Phins lose out on a mid-round pick that may not have panned out anyway. It’s the type of low-risk, high-reward move this franchise needs to make if it wants to quickly rebuild and get back into contention.”
Thomas still just turns 24 later in October. He’s got a potential long NFL runway left if this works.
Malik Willis Impact
The Dolphins also have to spend the rest of this season analyzing if Malik Willis is their QB of the future.
It sure would help the cause to give him a legitimate target out wide as opposed to the inexperience that Miami is operating with right now.
Maybe BTJ isn’t the answer by himself, but if he and Willis built a good partnership, that’d be a good sign.
Dolphins Trade Pitch Lands Pro Bowl WR From AFC South