The Miami Dolphins got in on the action of what was the busiest NFL trade deadline ever. Ten trades were agreed to on Nov. 4, which tied the all-time record. That included the Dolphins’ trade of Jaelan Phillips to the Philadelphia Eagles. The Dolphins received a third-round pick in return for the former first-round edge rusher. So, was that the right move to make, and was the Dolphins’ decision to stop wheeling and dealing right there the right choice?
The Jaelan Phillips trade made sense
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Trading Phillips made sense for the Dolphins. Heck, the third-round pick they received for doing business was pretty good value. Phillips has flashed potential at times since being taken 18th overall in 2021, but he never quite lived up to his ceiling. The edge rusher had an impressive 8.5 sacks as a rookie, but he has never since matched that production. Injuries have played a large part in that because he has spent too much time on the sideline. His major surgeries have resulted in regression, too.
Phillips has just four sacks over the last two seasons. He is a free agent at season’s end, and there was a good chance that Miami wasn’t going to pay him. Therefore, getting anything in return was worth it for a Dolphins team on the outside looking in on the playoff picture. A third-round pick, in particular, holds immense value. Those factors make the Phillips trade a good one for Miami.
The Dolphins’ trade deadline was still a massive failure
However, the Dolphins’ trade deadline as a whole was a failure because the team shouldn’t have stopped with just trading Phillips. Instead, the Dolphins should have embraced a full-blown rebuild that included a trade deadline fire sale. The New York Jets did this, and now they have a surplus of future draft picks to build the team up.
The Dolphins, meanwhile, seem like they could be stuck being a bad team for quite some time now. Teams were interested in Jaylen Waddle, but Miami’s asking price was reportedly too high. The Dolphins definitely didn’t want to just give their players away, but a second-round pick and something additional may have been fair for Waddle, who hasn’t quite looked the same since his first year or two in the league.
Bradley Chubb and Jordyn Brooks could have netted a decent return, too. Chubb was intriguing as a trade deadline candidate because he is a huge edge rusher with proven sack production, and Brooks is the current NFL leader in tackles. It seems unlikely that anybody would have wanted to take on Tua Tagovailoa’s contract, but the Dolphins should have gauged the market on their quarterback, too. Selling off their roster would have not only increased the Dolphins’ draft capital, but it would have better set themselves up to tank for a better draft pick. A high draft pick would allow them the chance to consider finding Tagovailoa’s replacement.
In the past, the Dolphins have been aggressive in adding talent through the trade market. Tyreek Hill, Chubb, and Jalen Ramsey are a few of the big-name players they’ve given up significant capital to add in recent years. They even traded Ramsey again in the offseason Minkah Fitzpatrick deal. Their aggression didn’t work out, and it has left them with not enough draft capital to replenish the roster in recent years. The Dolphins needed a reset, but they didn’t embrace the rebuild like they should have at the 2025 NFL trade deadline.
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