Before the 2026 season kicked off, folks all across the media landscape crowned the Miami Dolphins as not only the worst team in the NFL, but one of the worst teams ever. Many predicted Miami would win a game or two, if not go winless. While the microscopic hope that they would capture lightning in a bottle and compete for a playoff spot has come and gone amid a 1–7 start, the Dolphins have been surprisingly competitive.
As is the yearly tradition, there have been a few surprise additions to the race for the No. 1 overall pick come April 2027. The Los Angeles Chargers (0–8), Tennessee Titans (1–7), and Philadelphia Eagles (2–7) have been shockingly bad. So, too, have the Indianapolis Colts (2–7). The Colts are particularly interesting, if for no other reason than that they don't own their first-round pick.
Indianapolis traded its 2026 and 2027 first-round picks (along with wide receiver Adonai Mitchell) to the New York Jets for cornerback Sauce Gardner. Of course, the Colts were 7–2 at the time and fancied themselves contenders. Alas, they went 1–7 down the stretch and have opened this season 2–7, leaving them at 3–14 since making the deal, much to the delight of Jets fans across the nation.
The Colts' Daniel Jones decision is actually great news for the Miami Dolphins
Now, it was always a given that the Jets would be in contention to be the worst team in football — they just can't help themselves over there. The fact that they could wind up with the first overall pick due to another team's derailment is the part of the equation that would sting.
The Colts' trade deadline approach certainly isn't helping.
After falling to 2–6 last week, Indianapolis traded its top offensive lineman, the perennial Pro Bowler Quenton Nelson, to the Seattle Seahawks for draft picks. They followed that up by trading their best defensive tackle — DeForest Buckner — to the San Francisco 49ers. Those developments kickstarted fire-sale talk that has dominated the news cycle over the last week.
Among the names swirling in rumors were Colts quarterback Daniel Jones, running back Jonathan Taylor, and wide receiver Josh Downs. It appears likely at this point that Downs and Taylor will be dealt ahead of Tuesday's deadline. In a bit of hopeful news, however, Indianapolis has reportedly told quarterback Daniel Jones that he won't be traded, according to NFL insider Tom Pelissero.
If the Colts had traded Jones and pivoted to their backup quarterback, former first-round disappointment Anthony Richardson, or their third-stringer, second-year sixth-round pick Riley Leonard, it wouldn't be difficult to see them losing all of their remaining games. While it's a questionable strategy to tank when you don't have your own first-round draft pick, it would normally be immaterial to Miami.
The Jets' possession of the pick changes things.
See, I'm not one to root for losses. It simply goes against the spirit of the sport for me. If the Dolphins wind up being the worst team in football, so be it. Heck, I could even stomach the Jets getting the top pick (they'll screw it up anyway) if they had to deal with the indignity that came with being professional football's unofficial dumpster.
But getting the first overall pick because of a shrewd trade that aged like fine wine? That's a bridge too far. The constant pats on the back would be nauseating.
While opinions may be divided on Daniel Jones, few would argue that the alternatives would be any better for the Colts. His presence might not help the Dolphins when they travel to Indianapolis next week, but if he leads the Colts to a few more wins this season, it'll have been worth the price.
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