NFL teams rarely look solely at on-field production and overall impact when completing offseason trades. The Miami Dolphins were no different on Friday. The team finally bit the bullet and dealt longtime quarterback Ryan Tannehill, plus a sixth-round pick in the upcoming NFL Draft, to the Tennessee Titans in exchange for a 2020 fourth-rounder and 2019 seventh-rounder.
Obviously, Miami general manager Chris Grieg was glad to receive meaningful draft compensation for an average player who has struggled to stay on the field. However, the Dolphins' bigger impetus for divorcing Tannehill was related far more to financial savings than stacking up draft capital, as ESPN's Adam Schefter noted shortly after the deal was announced.
As for the Dolphins’ side of the Ryan Tannehill trade: Miami saves $33 million over the next two years in cap space and get a 4th-round pick in 2020 – significant help for the future.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 15, 2019
It remains to be seen how Miami will use the additional cap space afforded to the team by trading Ryan Tannehill. Even before this news broke, though, it seemed possible that the Dolphins were going to use an early-round pick on a quarterback on April 25. Whether they do or not, they will have ample cap space to lure free-agent signal-callers at this time next year.
The eighth pick of the 2012 draft, Tannehill struggled to live up to the potential he exhibited at Texas A&M. He missed the entire 2017 season with the Dolphins after suffering a torn ACL early in training camp. The 30-year-old returned last season, failing to improve on his unspectacular career averages by throwing for 1,979 yards, 17 touchdowns, and nine interceptions while completing 64.2 percent of his passes.
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