The Miami Dolphins are swimming in shallow water while other teams head deeper as they chase their respective playoff chances. One of those teams, the 49ers, finds itself in first place in the NFC West.
The Dolphins have a history of trades with San Francisco, and their head coach has a good relationship with the team. Many believe that if Mike McDaniel loses his job, he will rebound quickly on Kyle Shanahan's staff. Another player could potentially land there before him.
Over the weekend, the 49ers lost Nick Bosa for the season due to a torn ACL, and Bradley Chubb could be the fix for their problem.
Trading Bradley Chubb to the 49ers makes sense on so many levels for the Dolphins
The Dolphins are trying to get younger, and whether they want to believe it or not, Chubb won't be around for another two seasons. Chubb is not going to get an opportunity to chase a Super Bowl as long as he is in Miami, which is unlikely to receive significant cap relief from his bloated contract.
Chubb makes a lot of sense for the 49ers. He is the first player in Dolphins history to open a season with at least one sack in each of his first three games. He is a captain and a leader, and can still play at a high level. The 49ers know this, so they only need to make a call.
On the other end of that line will be Chris Grier, who is still holding out hope for a turnaround for Miami. If the Dolphins lose to the Jets on Monday night, Grier needs to start selling stock, and Chubb is part of that stock.
Even though Chubb makes sense, the smarter move might be to move Jaelan Phillips if the 49ers have interest. He is more affordable and unlikely to return next season, given his contract status. The 49ers would likely pay less for Phillips in the long run, given his injury history and impending free agency.
The Dolphins can hope all they want that a turnaround will happen, and as a fan, I pray that is exactly what happens, but the reality side of me knows this isn't likely. A regime change is on the horizon, or it should be. When that happens, players will be moved. Why wait until the trade deadline or for the start of the 2026 league new year?
Miami doesn't have a lot of tradable assets, but Chubb and Phillips are two of them. It would make sense for the Dolphins to entertain calls for either of them, and the 49ers should be on speed dial.