Sitting at 2-7, it’s hard to imagine a scenario where the Dolphins can turn things around this season. They lost wide receiver Tyreek Hill due to injury, but the team continues to toy with the idea of trading quarterback Tua Tagovailoa’s favorite target, WR Jaylen Waddle. The 26-year-old continues to pace the team in receiving yards, and it’s not even close. Without him, this offense would have its work cut out for it.
Miami Dolphins Still Have A Chance Of Trading Jaylen Waddle
After firing their general manager, all options are still on the table. Many expected head coach Mike McDaniel to be next, but it seems like Miami is going to ride him out for the rest of the season. The rest of the season could look quite intriguing if Waddle is no longer part of the team, which is something Ian Rapoport discussed.
“Teams previously called Grier and were told Waddle would not be traded. Though now, the 27-year old, who signed a three-year, $84.5 million extension last offseason but carries a low base salary for this year, comes to the forefront with Grier no longer in the picture,” Rapoport said.
He continued, “Sources say the Dolphins would at least consider dealing Waddle. It would be expensive, as young stars in their prime are, but not off the table. Something would have to blow the doors off for them to deal him. But, at least, GMs aren’t being pushed to voicemail, metaphorically. With a dearth of pass-catchers available at the deadline, Waddle becomes the hottest commodity.”
A different report said it would take a first-round pick and more to consider trading Waddle. Unless there’s an incredibly desperate team out there, which doesn’t seem to be the case, Waddle will be staying in Miami. It’s hard to imagine a scenario where they move on from the Alabama graduate, knowing the current state of their offense.
While it would be easy to host a fire sale and completely restart with a new GM in the mix, Waddle has been a key part of this team for the last five seasons. He’s leading the way with 586 receiving yards, while the next closest on the team is running back De’Von Achane’s 274. Achane and Hill combined have fewer receiving yards than Waddle does this season.
Waddle is currently 11th in PFSN’s WR Impact Metric. No one else on the team has a higher than a D grade, so Waddle’s B grade goes to show just how important he is if this offense wants to compete.