The Nov. 4 NFL trade deadline has come and gone, as numerous players around the league were dealt to new teams. The Miami Dolphins had several of their players rumored to be traded at the deadline. However, the front office only sent linebacker Jaelan Phillips to the Philadelphia Eagles for a third-round pick. That being the only trade made seemingly doesn't sit well with ESPN's Dan Orlovsky.
During a segment on “First Take,” the former NFL quarterback turned football analyst claimed he would have liked to have seen the Dolphins make more trades at the deadline. Orlovsky calls Miami “the biggest loser” of the trade deadline because he felt the organization should have gone all-in on a fire sale.
“My team, that's the biggest loser, I'd say, is the Miami Dolphins,” said Orlovsky. “You're going nowhere right now. This team is devoid of talent. We've already fired the general manager. You had multiple people that teams wanted on their roster… This team is not 2026 away. This team is so behind when it comes to the top six or seven teams of NFL talent on their roster. They are a team that absolutely, unequivocally needs picks and younger talent. I think the Miami Dolphins only moving Jaelan Phillips is a mistake.”
"They are a team that absolutely, unequivocally needs picks and younger talent."@danorlovsky7 feels the Dolphins are the biggest loser of NFL trade deadline ✍️ pic.twitter.com/Bac8FOWjYN
— First Take (@FirstTake) November 6, 2025
Rumors leading up to the deadline suggested teams around the league were interested in wide receiver Jaylen Waddle, linebacker Bradley Chubb, and safety Minkah Fitzpatrick, among others. Despite that, the Dolphins kept all three on the roster for the remainder of the 2025-26 campaign. Although Dan Orlovsky believes the front office should have traded each of the named players, all three are under contract at least through the 2026-27 season.
Every team in the league would prefer to have more draft capital, but Miami may have felt fine with the picks it has for the 2026 NFL Draft. This could explain why the club didn't make any more moves at the deadline. The Dolphins currently have eight total picks, three of which come in the third round.
Additionally, with the team owning a 2-7 record entering Week 10, the Dolphins are seemingly in line to be picking at the top of each round as it is. If the season ended on Nov. 6, the Dolphins would have the No. 4 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.


















