Friends, it’s time to talk about the fact that the Miami Dolphins will become sellers at the NFL trade deadline on November 4th, exactly three weeks from Tuesday. The team is 1-5 after a heartbreaking loss to the Los Angeles Chargers, and the mood couldn’t be worse.
There’s quite a conversation to be had about whether a team led by two people — general manager Chris Grier and head coach Mike McDaniel — who are trying to save their jobs will be willing to move veteran players.
We’ll put that aside for now and assume the Dolphins are at least ready to make better decisions for the team’s future.
Without any inside information, here are five players we think the team should consider moving at the deadline.
The case for moving Jaelan Phillips is pretty simple. He’s playing on his fifth-year option and he’s probably the most valuable asset the Dolphins can offer.
Phillips is only 26 years old and is playing reasonably well this season despite the lack of sack numbers and his inability to close out Justin Herbert in Week 6. He has a respectable 17.2 pressure percentage and he has recorded 20 total pressures.
If the Dolphins don’t plan to extend him or make an effort to re-sign him next offseason, there’s no reason to keep him. Not paying Phillips would be fair if Miami undergoes a complete rebuild this offseason, especially given his long injury history.
Miami could rely on the compensatory formula to get something back for Phillips, but it doesn’t always work.
Contenders like the Detroit Lions and Indianapolis Colts desperately need pass rushing help, and Phillips fits much better into their window of competition.
The Dolphins should consider moving Bradley Chubb for many of the same reasons. There will be plenty of teams desperate for pass rush help, and Chubb’s pedigree could net the Dolphins a respectable draft pick.
Unlike Phillips, Chubb is not in the final year of his contract. However, his deal has no guarantees after this season, so it’s hard to imagine he will figure in Miami’s plans after 2025.
It would also give the team that acquires him a chance if they don’t want to keep him after this season.
Chubb has four sacks this season, but if you look at the numbers closely (and watch the tape), he hasn’t played well since returning from a season-ending injury in 2023. His pressure percentage is just 11.1, and he’s been a liability against the run.
Still, if a contending team wants to complete a passing stable for a Super Bowl run, Chubb could be a valuable piece of the puzzle.
That profile might only land the Dolphins a mid-to-late Day 3 pick, but that’s life for a team that starts 1-5 with its key decision-makers on the hot seat.
Douglas has been one of the few bright spots on Miami’s defense this season. The ball production hasn’t returned, and he’s still not a dynamic man coverage player, but he’s a respectable starter — something a lot of teams could use at cornerback.
He allowed only 62.2 percent of his targets to become successful, and that’s in a defense that’s willing to give up a lot of easy shots. Douglas has also proven to be a solid defender this season.
Miami signed him in August, so getting something of value for him would be a win. Given his age (31) and overall limited potential, it doesn’t make sense to keep him beyond this season.
At 1-5, the Dolphins would be much better served giving that playing time to Ethan Bonner or Storm Duck, whenever the latter returns to the field.
The Colts, Philadelphia Eagles and Chicago Bears could all use some cornerback help.
We explained why to trade Wright It’s unlikely in the past, but given that he’s been healthy inactives for the past two weeks, it’s worth discussing.
The Dolphins traded a third-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft to select Wright in the fourth round of the 2024 NFL Draft, and he hasn’t done much since.
He had 249 carries for 68 yards as a rookie, but was essentially eliminated from the offensive game plan after Week 12 of last season.
It’s been a rough few months for Wright, who was competing for the RB2 spot before suffering an injury during the final week of the preseason. You’d be right to point out that it would be too early for Miami to give up on him, and there probably wouldn’t be much of a market.
However, perhaps the Dolphins could replace him with an underperforming player at another position – a player who could see the field this season. Trades of this nature are becoming more and more common in the NFL, and the Dolphins wouldn’t be crazy to consider one.
If we’re being honest, Jones lands on this list for the sole purpose of being one of five names. It’s hard to imagine a team trading something valuable for him, but from the Dolphins’ perspective, getting a sixth or seventh round pick for Jones is a win.
Jones had his best game of the season against the Chargers in Week 6, and a team looking for a depth option on the interior could view him as an upgrade.
The Dolphins have overhauled the interior defensive line room this offseason, and removing Jones could allow them to get more reps for Jordan Phillips, who has performed admirably this seasonand senior Zeek Biggers from the practice squad.
At 1-5, it’s probably more valuable to see if Biggers can be a rotation player next season than to get more reps for Jones, who has been an average player at best throughout his career.
Again, that’s far from the case, but it’s hard to find five players on the Dolphins that another team could legitimately be interested in and that the Dolphins would move.
Sure, you could include De’Von Achane and Jaylen Waddle, but those players are young and – for now – cheap enough to be a part of the Dolphins’ next window.
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