The trade of Minkah Fitzpatrick wasn't a surprise. It was coming the moment Chris Grier carried his last box out of the Miami Dolphins' offices. Fitzpatrick brings to an end the Grier era (Tua Tagovailoa was released before the trade).
Sending Fitzpatrick to the Jets isn't a huge deal. He isn't going to make the Dolphins' rivals a contender. He will clear cap space, but he will also leave a void that the Dolphins now need to fill.
That vacancy could be filled in the first round of the NFL Draft. Caleb Downs is the top safety in this year's class. He may be the top safety in the last five drafts. He is that good, and if he is available at 11, he may be the only reason general managerJon-Eric Sullivan doesn't accept a trade offer.
Miami Dolphins should be strong contenders for Ohio State safety Caleb Downs
Downs is a player that Miami fans will fall in love with immediately. His 100% all effort, all the time. A mix of physical prowess, speed, vision, and athleticism. He is also a vocal leader on and off the field.
If the Dolphins want to rebuild their locker room and their culture, Downs could be the first player that takes them in that direction.
Miami will have options, but safety becomes a larger priority now that Fitzpatrick is gone. With free agency days away, if not hours, Miami has five players on their roster, but three of them are impending free agents.
- Ashtyn Davis - free agent
- Jordan Colbert
- Ifeatu Melifonwu - free agent
- Dante Trader, Jr.
- Elijah Campbell - free agent
Sullivan will need to add players through free agency, the draft, and the undrafted pool, and he will likely dip back into free agency closer to training camp after he recovers money from the June 1st release designations.
Trading Fitzpatrick saved the Dolphins around $5 milliion in cap space. The return of a 7th-round pick was minimal, but his future with Miami was going nowhere beyond this season.
The Jets are going to give the safety a $40 million restructure, good for them. The Dolphins need to stop bleeding money. Sullivan is taking it on the chin this year in an effort to stop making the same mistakes over and over again. To date, his releases and trades have wiped out the top five contracts entering this season.
- Tua Tagovailoa
- Tyreek Hill
- Minkah Fitzpatrick
- Bradley Chubb
- Jason Sanders
- Nick Westbrook-Ikhine
- Alec Ingold
- James Daniels
There are more moves Sullivan can make and probably will. Fitzpatrick is the first trade of what could be a few more by the end of March.