The Miami Dolphins were wheeling and dealing on the NFL's trade deadline day on Tuesday afternoon. Everyone will pay attention to their massive deal with the Denver Broncos for Bradley Chubb first, but they also shored up their running back room by acquiring Jeff Wilson Jr. from the San Francisco 49ers to replace the outgoing Chase Edmonds, who was part of the aforementioned Chubb deal.
In exchange for Wilson, the Dolphins sent the 49ers a 2023 fifth-round pick, which San Francisco can clearly use after they sent over three 2023 draft picks to the Carolina Panthers in exchange for Christian McCaffrey. The addition of McCaffrey made Wilson expendable, especially with Elijah Mitchell's return looming for San Fran as well, and they flipped him to Miami for a Day 3 draft pick.
This seems like a good bit of business for both sides, and it will be interesting to see how Wilson is utilized by his new team throughout the remainder of the season. Let's hand out some final grades for this trade, and see which side will likely end up coming out on top in this deal.
San Francisco 49ers: B-
The 49ers logic for moving Wilson is pretty straightforward. After acquiring McCaffrey, he was going to get the majority of the touches in the backfield for San Francisco. Wilson spelled McCaffrey some touches in his first two games with his new team, but with Mitchell potentially returning in Week 10 after the Niners by week, there was really no need for Wilson.
Wilson is set for free agency after the 2022 season, and it was clear the 49ers weren't going to bring him back after this season. There wasn't expected to be much of an opportunity to move him at the deadline, but the Dolphins quickly emerged as a suitor once they dealt Edmonds to the Broncos as part of the Chubb deal, and they hammered out a deal in no time.
For the 49ers, the 2023 fifth-round pick isn't a glamorous return, but they realistically couldn't have expected much more in exchange for Wilson, who has been a backup for much of his career. Wilson has had some explosive games throughout his career with San Francisco, but he's unable to consistently produce in that manner, which is why he's being dealt here.
The alternative was losing him in free agency for nothing, so that makes this a solid move for the 49ers. Jeff Wilson Jr. Wilson likely could have held down the fort in the backfield for San Francisco until Mitchell returned, which is part of what makes the McCaffrey deal confusing, but that's a discussion for a different time. All in all, this was an easy quick bit of business from the 49ers on deadline day.
Miami Dolphins: B+
The Dolphins intended on relying on a sort of running back by committee this season, but it never really worked out that way. Raheem Mostert quickly became the team's top running back, which wasn't very surprising considering Edmonds is averaging just 2.9 yards per carry this season. Had the Broncos known Wilson was available, they likely would have tried to get him rather than Edmonds.
Miami has inadvertently recreated the 49ers old backfield by pairing up Mostert and Wilson on their team now. Mostert was always the preferred running back to Wilson, but he often missed time with injuries, forcing Wilson into action. The pair will likely assume similar roles in Miami, giving the Dolphins the running back committee they were looking for with Mostert and Edmonds.
As a straight up swap, replacing Edmonds with Wilson is a clear cut upgrade. Wilson has actually been very effective with San Francisco this season, and is averaging 5.1 yards per carry. That will make him a great compliment for Mostert moving forward, who has looked great in the lead running back role in recent weeks.
The fifth-round pick feels like a fair compensation for Wilson considering the fact that he's been productive when used, but is often a backup and will be a free agent after the end of the season. If Wilson succeeds throughout the rest of the season, the Dolphins can easily re-sign him in free agency, but if not, losing a fifth-round pick on him isn't anything that will cause the folks in Miami to lose sleep.
You can't complain with what the 49ers did, but it's clear this deal benefits the Dolphins more than it benefits the Niners. They made a big upgrade in their running back room, and for an offense that has already looked deadly this season, the addition of Jeff Wilson Jr. should only help them improve. The Dolphins clearly feel they can make some noise this season, and their strong deadline day work makes them a team to watch in the AFC East throughout the rest of the season.
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