The Miami Dolphins are nowhere near the playoff picture like they've been in the first two years of the Mike McDaniel era. With a 2-7 record, the Dolphins were expected to be sellers. But after the team's loss to the Baltimore Ravens last week, the team and general manager Chris Grier mutually parted ways. With an interim general manager in Champ Kelly running things, some wondered if the Dolphins would have a fire sale.
Despite the numerous names floated around in reports and rumors, the only player to be dealt this week was pass rusher Jaelan Phillips, who was sent over to the Philadelphia Eagles in exchange for a 2026 third-round draft pick.
Other names, like Bradley Chubb and, notably, Jaylen Waddle, remained put. Speaking of Waddle, the Dolphins had plenty of teams call about the receiver, but they didn't give up a first-round pick and more. But for some teams, they didn't know what the Dolphins' plans were.
In a recent ESPN article, senior writer Jeremy Fowler mentioned that some NFL teams had no idea what direction the Dolphins were going in at the deadline.
"Some teams had a tough time getting a read on Miami's intentions at the deadline, which is understandable four days removed from general manager Chris Grier's firing," writes Fowler.
NFL teams reportedly didn't know of Dolphins' strategy for trade deadline
Dan Graziano further elaborated on Fowler's intel, saying that the Dolphins were in an "awkward in-between phase."
"Firing Grier, who had been with the team a quarter-century and had apprenticed under the previous three Dolphins GMs, felt like ownership signaling a desire for an entirely new vision and organizational philosophy," writes Graziano. "We don't know whether the Dolphins will also move on from the head coach or even the starting quarterback in the offseason, and I thought they'd make more moves to accumulate draft capital as they pivot into whatever they decide is their future ... I wonder if Miami will regret not making more moves."
The Dolphins were expected to undergo a huge fire sale at the trade deadline, but ultimately opted to just trade one of their big-name players. They obviously had a high asking price for Waddle, one of the fastest wide receivers in the game. But no teams wanted to give up a first-round pick and more for the pass-catcher, even though he's under contract for the next three seasons.
Ironically, one of their division rivals, the New York Jets, underwent the fire sale. The Jets gave up cornerback Sauce Gardner to the Indianapolis Colts in exchange for 2026 and 2027 first-round picks. Later, they traded defensive tackle Quinnen Williams to the Dallas Cowboys for a 2026 second-round pick and a 2027 first-round pick.
So over the next two years, the Jets have a total of five first-round picks, giving them the perfect chance to rebuild their roster into general manager Darren Mougey's and head coach Aaron Glenn's image.
The Dolphins are going to play out the rest of the season. From there, fans will be wondering if team owner Stephen Ross will keep Mike McDaniel as head coach or move on from him. Additionally, they want to know who Ross will hire to replace Grier as the full-time general manager.
With the trade deadline in the rearview mirror, did the Dolphins ruin a perfect opportunity to rebuild?