The Miami Dolphins finished the year 7-10 after a 38-10 loss to the New England Patriots in their regular season finale. The team got off to a slow start this year as they lost six out of their first seven games. After Miami’s loss against the Ravens on Thursday Night Football in Week 9, the Dolphins traded away talented edge rusher Jaelan Phillips to the Philadelphia Eagles in exchange for a third-round pick.
Miami has long been interested in finding a franchise cornerstone at the edge position. Aside from drafting Phillips in the first-round of the 2021 NFL Draft, general manager Chris Grier also drafted Charles Harris in the first-round of the 2017 Draft. Harris failed to make an impact with the team. After two attempts at finding the solution through the draft, Miami traded a first-round pick for Bradley Chubb, prior to signing him to a long-term extension. Despite Chubb’s high-quality play, he missed the entire 2024 season with an injury. That injury led to a hole at the position and Miami spent a 2024 first-round pick on Chop Robinson.
Someone who might have helped the Dolphins avoid their search for a franchise pass-rusher is Raiders’ Maxx Crosby, who’s recently been the subject of trade rumors.
Maxx Crosby’s Thoughts on the Dolphin
In a recently resurfaced interview from 2023, Maxx Crosby spoke about his pre-draft process with Pat McAfee. He spoke about interviewing with the Miami Dolphins and not liking the way Miami’s coaches treated him. He said, “All the coaches were super hard on me.” Additionally, Crosby told his agent to tell the Dolphins not to draft him as he did not want to end up in Miami.
Eventually, Crosby was drafted by the Raiders in the fourth round of the 2019 Draft. The Dolphins did not have a pick in that round, but they selected guard Michael Deiter in the third round. Deiter started 23 games in four seasons with the Dolphins. Crosby has been selected to the Pro Bowl five times.
Of course, the coaching staff at the time was led by Brian Flores in his first year as Miami’s head coach. Despite his success as a defensive coach, Flores has been criticized for his behavior with certain players and failing to connect with them. Ultimately, the reason Brian Flores was fired from the Dolphins was because of fractured relationships with staff members and players
Had Brian Flores led a better interview, perhaps the five-time Pro Bowl pass-rusher would have found a home in Miami and the team would have enjoyed having the services of an elite player. Instead, Crosby found a home with the Raiders and Miami is still in need of a franchise edge rusher.
Dolphins Offseason Outlook
Maxx Crosby’s 2019 draft interview was not the only thing the Dolphins got wrong that offseason. In 2019, Miami traded away most of their assets, including franchise left tackle Laremy Tunsil in order to recoup long-term assets that would result in sustainable winning. Ultimately, despite achieving four consecutive winning seasons, the rebuild failed for Miami.
The assets from the Tunsil trade lasted years for Miami, but they failed to result in a playoff win. In 2026, the Dolphins find themselves in a similar situation as they did in 2019. Last time, general manager Chris Grier was the man responsible for the rebuild. This year, we’re yet to find out who the new general manager will be.
Raiders’ Maxx Crosby Did Not Want to Go to Dolphins