Rumors Fly & Trade Options

The Miami Dolphins are no strangers to rumors.  Founded or unfounded.  It’s typical this time of year when your grand master of all football is named Bill Parcells.  Jeff Ireland last month told a contingent of media reporters that the Phins wanted to add at least 3 more picks to this years draft crop and that has fueled speculation as to where those extra picks would come from.  With the draft a scant 6 days away, the Phins rumors are starting to fly.

There are several ways to improve this team with trades either for another player or players like the Phins pulled last year with the 4th rounder they sent Dallas for Anthony Fasano and Akin Ayodele or by trading a player or two for a pick in this years draft.

So what are the rumors, the truth, the options, and the likelihood? Let’s take a look.

The Options:

The Dolphins have several options to acquire more picks.  Trade a player or trade a pick.

Trading a player:  This is the hardest of the two considering that very few players currently on the Phins roster would garner enough consideration to receive enough value to pull the trigger.  While names like Brown, Ginn, and Roth can be floated the reality is that the Dolphins would have to use the picks they get, or earlier picks to replace them.  

Trading a pick:  This is the easiest.  Trade a pick to acquire more.  Whether it’s a first, second, or third rounder, the Dolphins can receive picks in the same round later and mid-round picks.  With the Phins sitting on 9 selections they may work the phones to add through this option…perhaps as early as round 1.

The Rumors:

Ronnie Brown – The latest to hit the waves of the Internet Ronnie Brown is supposedly available for the right price.  Brown had a pro-bowl season last year but still is not seen as a thundering RB in this offense that is looking for bruising power rather than finesse.  That is not to say Brown is not a bruiser but his game isn’t geared towards the constant pounding that a big RB will take.  The rumors say that the Phins want the right price but what is the right price?

Some in the media speculate that Miami would want at minimum a mid-second rounder yet no one can confirm that the Phins are actually taking calls for him.  So how would they know what the acceptable price is?

The Truth about the RB rumors: The Phins will take calls and if a trade can be made for the right price they will take it.  However, it should be noted that the “right price” may not be what the fans and the media have in mind.  It could go either way, higher than expected or lower.  What is known is that the Phins will take calls on all of their players which means that while Ronnie Brown may get traded he is not, as of now, on the trade block.

Ted Ginn – The Dolphins would likely move Ted Ginn if they thought that they could get a decent offer.  Ginn would flourish in a high-octane down-field attack like what will be installed in Chicago now with Jay Cutler or in Baltimore with Joe Flacco.  Still, Ted Ginn has not impressed enough on the field to prove that he is no longer a project.  Forget about where he was drafted, Ginn is being outplayed by un-drafted players across the league.  The issue with Ginn is not his hands or his speed, it’s his ability to get off the line and fight through contact.  When it gets physical, Ginn tends to struggle.

The Truth about TG rumors:  There really isn’t any truth to them.  Ginn will get traded if the Dolphins receive an offer that allows them to maximize their draft possibilities.  Ginn however will become more expendable if the team decides to draft a 1st day WR that they will slot as the teams future number 1.  In that case, Ginn may be gone for a 3rd or a 4th and I tend to believe it would be the latter if not a 5th.  He might be worth keeping compared to what might be offered.

Matt Roth – The LB/DE will enter his first consecutive season with the same defensive scheme at the same position.  Roth is loved in the locker-room by his teammates and he is beginning to become a leader on the field as well.  Roth has shown consistent signs of improvement over the last several years but it’s this season that many think will finally be his to break through.

The truth about MR rumors:  There is zero rumors floating around that have any truth to them.  Roth is likely not going anywhere unless the Phins receive an offer “they can’t refuse”.  The reason is that most teams wouldn’t offer enough to warrant moving the LB.  The coaches like him and the players like him and on the field he is starting to “get it”.  While some speculate that he could be had for the right price, that price is likely a bit more than what any team would truly offer.  Roth will be a Dolphin past draft day.

John Beck – The rumors of John Beck’s departure have been rampant since the season ended and they won’t stop on draft day.  The problem is that at 28, Beck is older than some of the more experienced veterans who are currently without a job.  J.P. Losman has been on the market since FA began and has had no looks.  He is younger and more experienced than Beck.  The best the Phins could hope for would be a 7th round pick and that may not be likely.

The truth about the JB rumors:  Actually, there is a lot of bite to them, but at the heart of the issue is the fact that while the Phins would like to move him, they have no takers.  A drafted QB on day 2 would have as much chance to succeed in the coming years as Beck.  What Beck does have going for him is the fact that he has at least played a few games and had a season to learn behind Chad Pennington.  Still, a trade involving Beck will likely occur as part of another deal.  The Dolphins could use him to move up a few spots in the later rounds and that is likely where his departure will occur.

Anquan Boldin – The big name WR wants out of Arizona and as a S. Florida native, the Dolphins name is often mentioned as a landing spot.  While Miami seems to be interested they will not part ways with the 1st round and 3rd round compensation that the Cards are asking for.  The Philadelphia Eagles are still saying there is mild interest and the Baltimore Ravens appear to be more of a front runner.  

The truth about the AB rumors:  Boldin wants to play for anyone but AZ but it’s out of his hands.  Many Miami fans and some media believe that the two teams may work a deal that sends Ronnie Brown to AZ along with something else for the Pro-Bowl WR but in reality the framework of a trade like that would be hard to do during the draft as physicals and contracts would have to at least be discussed.  If Boldin is going to end up in Miami, it’s likely that a deal is either in place before the draft that is executed on draft day or the deal is made the night before the draft…or over the next two days while I am out of town.

Dominic Hixon – The NY Giants WR has been mentioned by the Palm Beach Post as a possible trade target for the Dolphins but the problem is that the Phins would likely have to give up a pick and that is something they don’t want to do.  A player could be involved but who that would be is a big question.  Surely Hixon is not worth a first or second rounder which means that only a handful of players could be involved.  Perhaps Ted Ginn?

The truth about the DH rumors:  Some say where there is smoke there is fire.  I’m not so sure.  The Phins don’t want to move picks and unless a trade is worked out that sends a player to the Giants then I don’t see this getting done.  Perhaps Ted Ginn for Hixon and a pick may work.  Even that may be a stretch.  In reality, Hixon will likely leave NY but it will probably be to Cleveland if the team deals for Braylon Edwards.

The likelihood:

If the Dolphins make a trade I suspect it will be with the 25th pick in the draft.  It’s the easiest way accumulate more picks.  A simple trade would be to move down 4 or 5 spots and then gain another late 2nd rounder in the process.  That would give the team 4 picks on day 1.  The team could also move that 2nd rounder for a couple of picks on day 2.  I believe that depending on the talent sitting at 25, the Phins will likely see that the guys they target will be available a few picks later.

The Phins are not likely to get enough for RB Ronnie Brown to warrant a trade and if they do, they would need to be in position to draft his replacement, like Connecticut RB Donald Brown who is starting to climb some draft boards.  He is still graded as a 2nd round pick.

John Beck easily could be seeing his last week as a Dolphin especially if the team uses a first day pick on Pat White.  Beck will be gone but as an additive to another trade.  It’s very unlikely that any team will send a pick to Miami straight up for Beck.

Ted Ginn is not likely to be traded either.  The team will bring him back for his third outing and let it ride.  The compensation for Ginn just isn’t there without making a blockbuster type deal that ships both Ronnie and Ted to Arizona for Boldin…and that would be a tough one to honestly predict.