Miami Dolphins brass revert back to old ways on day two
After being pretty much universally praised for the way they handled round one, the Miami Dolphins front office does just about everything they can to foul up day two.
Miami started off the day on the day on the right note. They traded down 14 spots in round two, along with swapping a 4th rounder for the Saints 6th rounder, to acquire a second round pick in 2020. That was a savvy trade that provided the Dolphins with good value. After all, there were still a ‘plethora’ of good players available when the team was on the clock again with the 61st selection. If Miami continued to play it smart, they could have ended Friday with potentially 3-4 important pieces. That is where the day began to go sideways.
Overpay for Josh Rosen? Check!
The talk leading into the day was about the imminent trade between the Miami Dolphins and the Arizona Cardinals for QB Josh Rosen. This talk baffled many fans, myself included, that think Dwayne Haskins has more upside than Rosen and was a far better leader in one year at Ohio State than Rosen showed in four years at UCLA.
Most analysts correctly pointed out that the Cardinals had almost no leverage because there weren’t any other “QB-needy” teams in play for Rosen. Arizona was telling everybody that would listen that they wouldn’t give away Rosen for “pennies on the dollar”. However, those same people knew that the Cardinals couldn’t reasonably keep both Murray and Rosen on the roster because it would create a toxic environment. There was even talk that Rosen could be had for a 4th round pick.
So what do the Dolphins do? Not only do they surrender the 2nd round pick, they throw in a 2020 5th round selection.
Now, IF Josh Rosen turns out to be the “franchise QB” that a few analysts hailed him as last April, then Miami stole him for a 2nd and a 5th. However, if he turns out to be the uninspired, cocky kid with leadership issues that many people painted him as, Miami just gave up those picks for the Dolphins future backup QB because Miami will still be selecting a QB high in the 2020 NFL Draft.
(Although another intriguing possibility is that a starting QB goes down this offseason and another team likes Rosen’s potential enough to give up a first rounder for him. Probably won’t happen but we can dream, right?)
Ignore more important needs? Check!
Don’t get me wrong, guard is a need for the Dolphins and this isn’t meant as an indictment of Michael Deiter. He’s versatile and was highly thought of in league circles. However, guards are easier to find (well maybe not for the Dolphins) than…say…a cornerback or pass rusher. Meanwhile, DE Jaylon Ferguson and DB’s Julian Love and Juan Thornhill were available when Miami’s selection came up in the third round.
Did the Dolphins front office panic when New England picked DE/OLB Chase Winovich one pick before the Dolphins? I doubt it. But then why bypass potential starters at positions of greater need, and more scarcity? Was Deiter really rated that much higher on their draft board? We’ll probably never know the answers to those questions.
I really hope that Josh Rosen turns into Goff 2.0 and that Deiter becomes the Dolphins next Keith Sims. If they do, then I will gladly eat my words and look forward to some fireworks in 2020. In the meantime, it’s on to Day 3 where Miami has four picks remaining; the next of which isn’t scheduled to take place until the middle of round 5.