On Thursday, the Miami Dolphins pulled off a trade that few believed was possible. It wasn't a blockbuster deal that we have seen in the past around the league, but it was savvy enough that it didn't need to happen.
On Saturday, Jon-Eric Sullivan pulled off another trade that no one saw coming. Another simple yet bold move that is defining the Dolphins' new GM. He followed that up on Sunday with yet another trade that is defining his decisive nature.
TuTu Atwell was sent back to the L.A. Rams for a running back most fans haven't heard of, and Quinn Ewers was shipped up I-95 to the Jaguars for a 2028 6th-round draft pick. Sullivan then used that pick to obtain QB Kyle McCord from the Packers.
What Jon-Eric Sullivan managed to pull off was brilliant in a subtle way, because Atwell wasn't making this roster; Quinn was dividing the staff, and McCord was expected to stick in Green Bay. Jaylen Waddle was a player teams wanted, making that trade easy. Sullivan just moved two guys he didn't even want and got a player that someone else did. Not too shabby.
Recent trades have fans seeing a rising star in Miami Dolphins' Jon-Eric Sullivan
Atwell wasn't great in L.A.; he wasn't consistent enough in Miami. Inconsistent practices marked his short stay, yet he was set to make $1.2 million, which would have been fully guaranteed if he made the roster.
Sullivan saw the roster and realized that Atwell was likely going to get cut on Sunday. They had only invested $187,500 in him. Now they get all but that back in cap relief. It's not much, but when you are strapped for cash, every little bit helps.
The Dolphins GM followed that trade with another small move that carried a much louder message. Sullivan moved Ewers because he wasn't confident in the QB's ability to handle the duties of the backup quarterback, and he did so despite the coaching staff believing the opposite.
More background on this: Ewers had support on coaching staff but front office was displeased by his training camp performance after a strong May/June. He said injuries caused his camp struggles. https://t.co/6C9dUOYMSO
— Barry Jackson (@flasportsbuzz) August 29, 2026
Barry Jackson reported on Friday that there was noise building inside the organization about Ewers' future. He called them internal discussions. A day later, Ewers was traded. Sullivan isn't messing around. He is decisive in his decisions. When he took over the GM job officially, he released Tua Tagovailoa and Tyreek Hill, then traded Jaylen Waddle.
Atwell's departure isn't surprising, but consider this: he couldn't make a Dolphins roster that is anemic at the position. He couldn't beat out guys like Jalen Reagor or Jalen Tolbert, who haven't been lighting up training camp. He got rid of Ewers for the same reason.
Ewers was having a bad camp, and when push came to shove, he was far closer to Cam Miller than Malik Willis. Sullivan traded two guys that he would probably have released at the 53-man roster deadline. He got a player and a draft pick in return, but more importantly, he made it clear that this is his team, and in the end, what he believes about a player is all that matters. It's refreshing.
That all led to the trade that brought McCord to Miami. Without a backup QB, Sullivan could have waited for the waiver claims, but he didn't want to risk losing a QB he had researched. Instead of taking a chance, he took the matter into his own hands.
All of this may work, or perhaps none of it may. But Sullivan is proving that he doesn't sit around waiting for the acorns to fall from the tree. He is plucking them off himself.
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