Praise for Miami Dolphins after blockbuster moves, and why they might not be done yet
Friday’s league-altering series of Miami Dolphins trades gave all teams involved exactly what they wanted.
The San Francisco 49ers covet one of three players (a quarterback makes the most sense, even if an source within the organization told ESPN that “Jimmy [Garoppolo] is here to stay”), and gave up what was needed to make that happen.
The Philadelphia Eagles wanted to flip quality for quantity, believing the best way to address their many needs was to give up one premium pick for two really good ones.
And the Dolphins hoped to do both: Maximize value in a trade down without sliding too far to land one of the three or four best non-quarterbacks in the draft.
That would have been a lot easier for Chris Grier to do had the Eagles wanted to move up, not down. But he turned challenge into opportunity — and perhaps complicated the Patriots’ ability to move up for their quarterback of the future — by getting John Lynch involved.
That ingenuity deserves praise — and Grier got much of it Friday.
▪ NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah: “I’m guessing that when they did all they did, going to 12 and back up to 6, they were able to get more and not have to drop back as far as they would have if they had just done the trade straight up with Carolina (at 8) or Denver (at 9). I thought it was creative by Chris and a good job by him. And now we’re going to see a run on quarterbacks. They’re still probably going to get the guy they want if not the No. 2 option.”
▪ Mel Kiper Jr., NFL Draft analyst: “This is the ideal scenario for the Dolphins, who are clearly committed to [Tua] Tagovailoa as their franchise quarterback. They pick up extra prime assets and only move down three spots, which means they can still get one of the top wide receivers — [Ja’Marr] Chase, [DaVonta] Smith and [Jaylen] Waddle — with the No. 6 pick or take a versatile weapon in [Kyle] Pitts. This team is built to contend in the AFC East in 2021.”
▪ Todd McShay, Kiper’s colleague at ESPN: “Put it this way: If Miami [wasn’t] able to move out of No. 3, it likely would have been targeting Chase, Smith, [Penei] Sewell or maybe even Northwestern tackle Rashawn Slater. Now the Dolphins pick up additional picks, including a future first-rounder, and will likely land the same player at No. 6. That’s a win.”
▪ “NFL Live” co-host Marcus Spears: “You’re an absolute beast for getting this done. Now they’re starting to build the roster around [Tagovailoa]. Chris Grier, Brian Flores feel they’re in a great situation with Tua where they can add pieces and can come back later. .... It’s amazing what they did. Phenomenal job.”
A recap of the two trades, because they were a bit confusing: The Dolphins sent the No. 3 pick to San Francisco and their first-rounder in 2022 plus this year’s 123rd overall to Philadelphia for picks No. 6 and 156 in 2021, San Fran’s compensatory third-rounder in 2022 and the Niners’ first-rounders in 2022 and 2023.
And Grier might not be done. There’s a scenario, albeit an unlikely one, in which the Dolphins trade down yet again, and pick up even more assets.
Every year features head-scratching picks in the top 10, and if a team or two ahead of Miami goes off the board for their selection, Grier might field calls from the Panthers or Broncos, knowing that he could move down a couple of spots and still get one of his top targets. Such a trade almost certainly would not happen, however, until the Dolphins are on the clock.
Grier also achieved a second, albeit unspoken, goal Friday: He maintained flexibility to acquire a top quarterback, either in the draft or via a trade, should Tagovailoa stumble in what looks to be an audition season. The odds of Deshaun Watson getting traded in the coming weeks are next to zero (he’s now the subject of 20 sexual misconduct lawsuits), but the Dolphins have the future capital to at least be among the teams in the conversation for Watson if his legal issues are eventually resolved.
“They’ve extended that window,” Jeremiah said. “Let this whole thing play out, what’s going on in Houston with Deshaun right now, and this gives them a full year with Tua to see what they can do. And if it doesn’t work out, they would be armed and ready to make a move for a veteran like Deshaun potentially or move up in next year’s draft.”
(An important caveat, however: The Eagles, with as many as three first-rounders in 2022, Jets and Lions can all offer the Texans a more appealing package than the Dolphins, should they also pursue Watson.)
As for what the Dolphins will do this year if they remain at sixth?
Jeremiah laid out his dream scenario:
“I ended up moving Kyle Pitts to No. 2 [on his top 50 list], behind Trevor Lawrence. I have Ja’Marr Chase three. I have the same grade on both those guys. If they came away with either one, it’s a home run. DeVonta Smith and Jaylen Waddle are not that far behind those guys. They’re in a great spot. But if you’re asking me what my home run pick is, and I know [Mike] Gesicki is there. I don’t care. I’m taking Kyle Pitts and we’ll figure out how to be out there with two tight ends. If I need to, I will play Kyle Pitts at the X. Gesicki doesn’t spend a whole lot of time with his hand in the ground either. I think [Pitts] is the best football player they can get. That would be my dream scenario.”
This story was originally published March 27, 2021 at 8:43 AM.
