The Miami Dolphins ended their 2023 NFL preseason schedule with a record of 1-2. They recovered from a loss to the Atlanta Falcons with a 28-3 win over the Houston Texans, but would cap off their 2023 preseason run with a 31-18 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars. Miami quarterbacks Skylar Thompson, Tua Tagovailoa and Mike White combined for 193 passing yards and three touchdowns in the Dolphins' win over the Texans. Running back Salvon Ahmed led the team in rushing with 99 yards. Running back Raheem Mostert would score a two-yard touchdown to put the Dolphins up by one touchdown in the first quarter.

The Dolphins must make a multitude of roster moves before the NFL's Roster Cuts deadline on Tuesday. They will need to find a way to establish a consistent running game after they ended the 2022 season with a total of 1,686 rushing yards. The figure put them on pace with the New York Jets at about 26th place in the league, according to NFL.com. They must find ways to improve the defense after they hired former Denver Broncos head coach Vic Fangio as their defensive coordinator in January.

What is one last-minute trade the Dolphins should make before the start of the 2023 NFL Season?

Trade for Jerry Hughes

The Dolphins could use extra depth on the defensive line to play behind defensive linemen Christian Wilkins, Raekwon Davis and Zach Sieler.

“We're happy with Zach, Christian and Raekwon,” Fangio said earlier this month, via Miami Herald Dolphins beat reporter Daniel Oyefusi and sports columnist Barry Jackson. “We need to find two other guys, three other guys, to surface as the fourth, fifth, and sixth defensive linemen, and so far nobody has done that. So that's an area that we need to get better at.”

Defensive linemen Josiah Bronson, Brandon Pili and Emmanuel Ogbah made up the second-team options behind the three starters on the Dolphins' depth chart. Pili, who signed with the Dolphins as an undrafted free agent in April, ended his final year at USC with 25 tackles and one pass deflection. He logged two tackles in Miami's win over the Texans.

Miami signed defensive end Da'Shawn Hand on Aug. 6. Hand, a former fourth-round pick for the Detroit Lions in the 2018 NFL Draft, has played in 31 games and started in 11 during his NFL career. He played in one game for the Tennessee Titans in 2022.

Hughes, a former first-round pick in the 2010 NFL Draft, played in 17 games and started in 16 for the Texans last season. He recorded 35 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, 10 quarterback hits, nine sacks, two forced fumbles, one pass deflection and one interception. He earned as many as five combined tackles during a 29-17 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in November, adding two tackles for loss and two quarterback hits as the Eagles defeated the Texans in NRG Stadium.

Hughes will be on the final year of a two-year, $10 million contract he signed with the Texans in 2022. He will have a $6.25 million cap hit in 2023, according to sports contracts and salaries website Spotrac.

Hughes can add plenty of experience to Miami's defense behind either Wilkins or Sieler if the Dolphins can acquire him. Miami will already have a handful of talented options in the linebacker and secondary spots heading into the 2023 season. Adding someone with Hughes's experience can only boost a defense that earned 40 sacks in 2022, putting them on pace with the Los Angeles Chargers, Buffalo Bills and Pittsburgh Steelers.