Dolphins could target Pro Bowl edge-rusher before NFL trade deadline

The Miami Dolphins need edge help, and if they are going to make a run for the postseason despite being 2-6, they need to get better on the outside. Recently, the Dolphins were suggested as a possible landing spot for Carolina Panthers veteran pass rusher Jadeveon Clowney.

With a 2-7 record heading into Week 10, the Panthers are having a fire sale. Carolina has already traded wide receivers Jonathan Mingo and Diontae Johnson, and now they may be ready to move Clowney.

FinsXtra on X recently pointed out that Miami is a team that could potentially be interested in trading for the former No. 1 draft pick. They shared a report from The Athletic's Dianna Russini that many believe the Panthers are open to trading Clowney before this season's deadline and also pointed out that ESPN recently suggested the Dolphins are in need of a new edge rusher.

Should the Miami Dolphins make a deal for Carolina Panthers edge rusher Jadeveon Clowney before the 2024 NFL trade deadline?

The move would help the Dolphins defense, but is it enough to change the course of the 2024 season? Not everyone thinks so. In fact, many believe any trade for a player is nothing more than grasping at straws in the hopes of saving someone's job.

Clowney shouldn't be all that expensive and would likely cost Miami a mid-round draft pick. Anything more than that, and it would be overpaying.

In the league for over a decade, Clowney began his career with the Houston Texans after they selected him with the first overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. He never lived up to the draft hype, but he has still been productive, just not the star that was expected.

In his career that has spanned Houston, Seattle, Tennessee, Cleveland, Baltimore, and now Carolina, Clowney has accumulated a total of 53.5 sacks and 386 tackles.

Aside from the compensation the Panthers will ask for, it would be interesting to see how much of his 2024 salary would be absorbed by Carolina if they agree to trade him.

Clowney is under contract for the 2025 season with a $14 million cap hit, and that's not an amount the Dolphins would probably be interested in dealing with next year.

The move to trade for Clowney would make sense, given Miami's need at the position. But if the Dolphins overpay for what would likely be a half-year rental, they would be insane.

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