The Miami Dolphins aren’t expected to be too active before the NFL trade deadline.
The Dolphins have already discarded a lot of the veteran players who wouldn’t be a part of their future plans as they rebuild, so there may not be a lot left to do.
The deadline is coming right up, on Tuesday, Nov. 10 — and there are plenty of teams who will do more than the Dolphins do in the next week.
But there’s also reason to think the Dolphins won’t be totally quiet. There’s still things they can accomplish if they choose to do so.
On Wednesday, one particular concept emerged that hasn’t been talked about much but actually makes a lot of sense.
Dolphins Trade Rumor
ESPN’s Seth Walder suggests that the Dolphins should trade for offensive tackle Braden Smith.
Smith is with the Houston Texans, and he previously played for the Indianapolis Colts.
This is the case Walder makes:
“It doesn’t usually make sense for a team in Miami’s position to acquire veterans, but one exception is trying to improve pass protection to aid in quarterback development. Smith might be an upgrade at right tackle for the Dolphins. (Austin) Jackson’s pass block win rate ranks in the 12th percentile, and Smith ranked in the 46th percentile last season with the Colts. And $2.5 million of Smith’s $8 million 2027 salary is fully guaranteed.”
While Smith may not be a part of any super long-term plans in Miami, he has a chance to be useful the rest of the season — and his lack of guaranteed money next season means the Dolphins would still have flexibility in the offseason about what to do with Smith.
But it’s the quarterback element here that’s so important.
Malik Willis Impact
The Dolphins signed Malik Willis to a three-year contract in the offseason to be their starting quarterback. The deal didn’t guarantee three years as QB1, but Miami was likely hoping Willis could prove to be worthy of that.
The problem for the Dolphins as they’ve gone through this season is that they haven’t had a great setup to evaluate Willis. Star RB De’Von Achane is out for the season. Miami’s WR group is the least experienced in the NFL. The offensive line hasn’t been great.
Quarterbacks can only make so much happen on their own. Even the best ones are better when they have quality help around them.
So as the Dolphins try to figure out where they go from here with Willis ahead of the 2027 NFL Draft, getting the best possible evaluation of him this season is crucial. So if trading for a veteran offensive tackle helps Miami know what it wants to do at QB going forward, then it’s a move totally worth making.
Dolphins’ Trade Pitch Lands Surprise Help For Malik Willis