Miami Dolphins helped by Alex Smith trade to Washington

The Miami Dolphins have been quietly making coaching changes but players changes will come later. While the Dolphins evaluate the NFL saw a big trade on Wednesday that could help Miami come April.

When the Kansas City Chiefs traded quarterback Alex Smith to the Redskins for a 3rd round pick and a cornerback, the trade was viewed as a little odd given the fact that the Redskins have Kirk Cousins. Then again, the most popular opinion on Cousins was that Washington was never going to re-sign him.

Cousins will now become a free agent on March 14th when the league new year starts unless the Redskins release him outright before then in which case he becomes a free agent immediately. So how does this help the Dolphins? On the surface it doesn’t but where Cousins ends up could be a big help for Miami.

Three teams that pick ahead of the Dolphins in this April’s draft could be looking at Cousins as their future signal caller. The Cleveland Browns, Denver Broncos, and the New York Jets. All three could be in play for Cousins and if any one of them should sign the quarterback they will look elsewhere in the draft.

This could impact Miami in two ways. If the Dolphins are looking for a quarterback then a player such as Baker Mayfield could fall if one of those three teams mentioned above sign Cousins. That would be the positive end of the trade impact on Miami. If the Dolphins are not looking at quarterback and ll these interviews have been a smoke screen then one less potential player for the Dolphins will be on the board when they select.

If the Broncos sign Cousins they would turn away from the need for a quarterback and could go offensive line where Quenton Nelson, the top offensive lineman in the draft, could be selected. An option for Miami that would no longer be on the board. The same can be said about the Jets as well.