The Miami Dolphins sent their best receiver to the Broncos, and they have some options with the first-round pick they received in return. And here is one more trade the Dolphins must make to finish offseason housecleaning after the Jaylen Waddle blockbuster trade.
The Dolphins got the Broncos’ first-round pick, which is No. 30 overall. They also received third- and fourth-round picks while sending their own fourth-round selection to the Broncos.
So their receiver room is obviously quite thin now. But really, the roster as a whole isn’t looking all that competitive. They have blown it all sky high, so why not keep the momentum and add even more future draft picks?
Dolphins should deal LB Jordyn Brooks
First, the Dolphins have only three big chips left on new head coach Jeff Hafley’s roster. They are running back DeVon Achane, center Aaron Brewer, and linebacker Jordyn Brooks.
If the Dolphins are going to keep their fan base happy, they need to be able to put some points on the board. That makes it a no-go to ship out Achane or Brewer.
Plus, newly signed quarterback Malik Willis needs help. He has to have some kind of weapons. And those guys will be a huge part of the offense.
So that means the one guy the Dolphins could trade is Brooks. He’s a former first-round pick of the Seahawks, who joined the Dolphins in 2024.
Brooks totaled 143 tackles in his first season in Miami, which is pretty good. He also had 11 tackles for loss. But he exploded in year two, racking up 183 stops with 13 tackles for loss. He also totaled 3.5 sacks. And he earned the first postseason honor of his career, getting chosen as an Associated Press first-team All-Pro.
So, why would the Dolphins let him go? Well, the key reason is age. Brooks is 28 years old. The Dolphins aren’t going to be contenders this year, for sure. And they probably won’t be next year, either.
Furthermore, Brooks inked a three-year, $30 million deal back in 2024. So this is the final year of that contract. He will be an unrestricted free agent. There’s no way the Dolphins will sign him at that point. He’ll be 29 years old, very expensive, and the team will still be in heavy rebuilding mode.
This is the perfect year to trade him. Of course, the Dolphins don’t have to do it now. They could wait until the trade deadline in the fall. That’s when Super Bowl hungry teams overpay for the “final piece” to the puzzle.
The problem with that plan is injury. If Brooks gets hurt before the trade deadline, his value becomes zero to any team wanting to use him for a Super Bowl run.
Therefore, the best thing the Dolphins can do is ship him away for more picks in the 2026 NFL Draft.
What could the Dolphins get for Jordyn Brooks?
It depends on where they dangle him. But the team that has an obvious need is the Cowboys. Plus, the Cowboys have the draft capital to trade.
The Cowboys could ship one of their two No. 1 picks to the Dolphins and make it work. Those picks are No. 12 and No. 20. The Dolphins already have two first-round picks, No. 11 and No. 30. Just think what they could do for the future if they had a third pick.
Mel Kiper has them targeting Arizona State wide receiver Jordyn Tyson at No. 11. If the Dolphins got a second straight pick, they could bring in Francis Mauigoa or Spencer Fano to bolster the offensive line. Then they could add a defender with the No. 30 pick.
All of that sounds good for a rebuilding team. And if the Dolphins somehow hit with all of those picks, they would be looking at taking at least a year off the rebuilding process.
The basics of trading Waddle involved the admission of basically tanking for the 2027 draft. If the Dolphins could somehow acquire an extra 2027 first-round pick, that would be even better. The 2027 draft is expected to be one of the best in many years. And the Dolphins could jet-propel their rebuild with a pair of first-round picks in that draft.
Interestingly, it’s going to be a tough first year for Hafley. As things stand now, the team will be fortunate to get even five wins. Hopefully, for Hafley’s sake, they’ve baked that into his evaluation. Otherwise, he’s a possible one-and-done coaching candidate.
