Should the Miami Dolphins get involved in the Carson Wentz market?
It’s being reported by multiple sources that Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz is close to being traded. I think the Miami Dolphins should be involved in those conversations.
Before you/the reader get too upset, I am not saying that the Miami Dolphins should trade for Wentz. What I am saying is that the Dolphins should be working the phones to see if they can set up a three-way trade between themselves, Philadelphia, and the Houston Texans that would benefit all three franchises.
The Trade
Miami gets:
- QB Deshaun Watson
- WR Randall Cobb
- Philadelphia’s 2021 first-round pick (#6)
Philadelphia gets:
- QB Tua Tagovailoa
- Miami’s 2021 second-round pick (#55)
Houston gets:
- QB Carson Wentz
- Miami’s 2021 first-round pick (#3)
- Miami’s 2021 first-round pick (#18)
- CB Xavien Howard
Why is this trade good for the Miami Dolphins?
Simply put, the Dolphins get QB Deshaun Watson. Watson is considered a borderline top 5 quarterback; definitely in the top 10. He makes the Dolphins relevant in 2021; provided they get him some offensive weapons around him. Speaking of ‘weapons’, the Dolphins receive former Pro Bowl wide receiver Randall Cobb.
In the two seasons since Cobb left Green Bay, he put up decent numbers in Dallas in 2019 but his playing time bottomed out with the Texans last year (2 starts, 38 receptions, 441 yards and 3 touchdowns). The Dolphins are taking on Cobb’s cap figure ($8.5M) to ‘sweeten the pot’ for acquiring Watson but the Dolphins might “catch lightning in a bottle” or simply dump Cobb if he doesn’t make the roster this fall.
The final piece is that they essentially trade back from the third pick to the 6th. To compete with any offer from the Jets, the third pick needs to be included because Houston probably wants to select their own “quarterback of the future”. With Watson now in Miami, the Dolphins have no interest in a QB. At #6, they probably still have their choice of a game-changer or they can trade back and acquire a second to replace the one they traded away in this deal.
Next. Zach Thomas did not make the Hall of Fame again this year. dark
Why is this trade good for the Philadelphia Eagles?
The Eagles want out of the bloated deal they signed Carson Wentz to in 2019. With this trade, they save $23.8M in cap space this season; then they are free of the contract.
The acquisition of Tua allows the Eagles to recreate the Alabama quarterback combo that helped the Crimson Tide get to three straight National Championship games (winning in 2017 with Tua at the helm). Worst case, they have a promising backup and potentially valuable trade chip.
Giving up the 6th pick in this year’s draft is a big price to pay for getting out of “cap jail” (as the Rams showed with the Matthew Stafford trade) so the Eagles get back a second-round pick so they still have two picks that reside in the top 55.
Why is this trade good for the Houston Texans?
The Texans want a big haul for QB Deshaun Watson but have somewhat limited leverage because Watson has made it clear he will not return to Houston and has a ‘no-trade clause’ in his contract. That said, other teams will make big offers to try and acquire an elite QB (like the Jets).
Like I said above, it’s assumed that Houston wants a top-5 pick so they can draft their next “QB of the future”. The Dolphins send the Texans the third and 18th picks in the first round. Added to those valuable assets is Pro Bowl cornerback Xavien Howard; who instantly upgrades a woeful Texans secondary. Howard had 10 interceptions last season while the entire Texans team had three.
Cap Concerns
Now for those that pay any attention to the salary cap, you know that this trade in a vacuum doesn’t work. While the Dolphins can absorb the $7M net cap hit that comes with this trade, the Texans (~$6.6M ) and Eagles (~$41.5M) are both currently over the projected salary cap.
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With this trade, the Texans would be adding about $23.5M in salary (adding Wentz at $20M and Howard at $12M but saving $8.5 on Cobb) but that could quickly be remedied. Hypothetically, cutting DE J.J. Watt (saves $17.5M) and designating RB David Johnson a “post-June 1st cut” (saving $8.8M).
The Eagles situation is a little trickier. Even with the $23.8M they save in the Wentz ‘purge’, they still need to at least drop another $17.7M in salary. Designating WR Deshaun Jackson a “post-June 1st cut” would save $8.7M this season while cutting/trading DE Derek Barnett (playing on 5th-year option) would save $10M.
So, what do you think Dolphins fans?