Why Jay Ajayi? Reports saying Dolphins were not happy

The Miami Dolphins made a bold move today that sent starting running back Jay Ajayi to the Philadelphia Eagles for a 4th round draft pick and fans are wondering why Miami would trade their top running back.

In Davie, the Dolphins are not saying anything and they likely won’t until Adam Gase meets with the press and then that topic may be nothing more than a few small blurbs. As the news has started to filter into the masses, there are reports now coming out that may explain the J-Train departure.

According to one report, Jay Ajayi has had verbal altercations with the coaching staff the last few weeks. What exactly isn’t being reported but earlier this week Adam Gase said something would be done and fans would not be happy.

Jeff Darlington who has been covering the Dolphins for a very long time believes that the Dolphins are a bit concerned about the longevity of Ajayi’s knee and that could have been a reason for the team seeking a trade partner.

What is known for certain is that while Ajayi has been the teams starting tailback for two seasons, this year Ajayi has not looked good even when given time. Adam Gase singled Ajayi out following the Ravens loss saying that he needed to take the 4-5 yards a play is designed for instead of trying to hit the home-run.

Ajayi has also been visibly upset on the sidelines when he has been either taken out or not given the ball as much as he would like. As for film study and preparation, there is no knowledge that Ajayi was one of those players that Gase was referring to but Ajayi’s blocking has been questioned before.

Now it’s a waiting game as the league deadline for trades is not until 4:00 p.m. today and the Dolphins may not be done just yet. As far as how I feel about this trade. I’m actually good with it. I think the Dolphins could have wrangled a 3rd round pick out of the Eagles but a 4th for a player the team drafted in round five isn’t bad.

My contention is this, the Dolphins obviously have had issues with Ajayi dating back to 2016 so there is a history and if it impedes the progress that Gase is trying to build, then Ajayi or anyone else should be in Miami. And when Gase said earlier that if players don’t want to be here they won’t be, I think we saw one player that didn’t want to be here.