The Miami Dolphins are facing an interesting conundrum, even at 2-6. On Sunday, they played like the football team fans expected them to be before the season started. It might also create hesitation within the organization.
The Dolphins now face a problem they didn't want to have. Do they trade away assets with the hopes of building through the draft next year, or do they continue to fight with the hopes of turning around a season that is, for all intents and purposes, lost?
This is what Chris Grier is grappling with as the NFL's November 4 deadline to move players approaches.
Dolphins get lucky with a Thursday night game before the NFL trade deadline
The win against the Falcons in Week 8 may have supplied the team with a renewed sense of hope, but a victory against the Ravens, who will have two-time MVP Lamar Jackson back under center, would most certainly curtail any trade talk between Friday and next Tuesday.
Grier has a lot on his plate and is trying to balance it. On one hand, he can't be certain he will be around next year to spend the draft picks. On the other hand, moving a guy like Bradley Chubb is an easy way to create cap space. Somewhere in the middle is the decision to extend Jaelan Phillips and let him walk in free agency.
The Falcons game gave Grier enough reason to push the pause button. A loss to the Ravens could force him to hit play. It's a fluid situation that may literally come down to the Tuesday afternoon deadline.
Winning is all that matters, but to win, you have to be willing to make bold moves, and this year, those bold moves will send players out of the Dolphins organization, not bring them in. Losing Chubb, Phillips, Jaylen Waddle, Jordyn Brooks, or any other player on the team suggests the Dolphins are throwing in the towel.
For now, Miami has a game in just over 24 hours, but if they lose, expect the noise to get a lot louder over the weekend. If they win, Grier may have to make the toughest decisions in his career: keep what you have, keep your fingers crossed, and keep your hopes alive, or throw in the towel and walk away from the 2025 season.