Miami Dolphins fans spent Tuesday's NFL trade deadline waiting for something to happen. As is typical of the team, nothing did. Fans were once again let down by executive leaders who can't see the bigger picture.
Champ Kelly and the team managed to pull off a trade for Jaelan Phillips on Monday, but with talent to give and a season full of disappointment, Miami opted to stay the course with their current roster and the hopes of turning around a franchise that needs more than just a group of Jaylen Waddle's and De'Von Achane's.
The Dolphins' decision to sit out the flurry of trades isn't necessarily a bad thing, but it sends a message that they believe they are closer to competing in the division than the fan base believes.
Miami Dolphins have more faith in themselves than fans do about their future
There are not many fans who will complain about not trading Waddle or Achane, but in reality, they may realize in another year or two that the optimal time to move them was this year. That's not to say there was a buyer, but we at least know Miami wasn't selling.
The Dolphins have to be looking at the roster and thinking they have a solid core that can win. We are already getting the sense that Stephen Ross is likely not moving on from Mike McDaniel after the season, and the lack of moves at the deadline may be an indication that he isn't moving on from Kelly either.
It's subjective at best, but by not making wholesale changes, the team is working with the assumption they are close to being better than they actually are.
The Dolphins were expected to be the busy pre-deadline franchise, but it was their AFC East rivals in New York that stole the trade deadline show. The Jets moved Quinnen Williams and Sauce Gardner.
The AFC East is getting further from the Dolphins' reach. With the Buffalo Bills and New England Patriots going head-to-head for the top, the Jets have put themselves in a position to rebuild their roster quickly. The Dolphins, unfortunately, have not.
Miami will need to get control over its salary cap before it can start fixing the glaring holes on the team. There are a lot of those, by the way. When the offseason officially begins, whoever Ross taps for the GM job will have a lot of work to do. Sometimes it is much easier to work with a clean slate, or at least a cleaner one.
That won't be the case in 2026. Miami could still make trades ahead of free agency's start next March once the season is over. For now, the optics suggest that this team believes in itself, but do fans share the same hope?