The Dolphins Make Me Cry.com - Forums

There's a unusual stat that the Dolphins have maintained over the last two decades where an abnormally low percentage of 1st - 3rd round picks get extended to a second contract. They've also proven unwilling to extend players at an advantageous time for them - Oliver Vernon, Lamar Miller or Jarvis Landry, then allowed them to leave for nothing or for low compensation. With that in mind, will the Miami braintrust trade Xavier this offseason in an effort to move up in the draft or secure an additional pick?

They better fucking not.

++++1

Yeah, trading the guy who is the best player on the team and arguably one of the best CBs in the NFL would be a huge help to the team. 

^The John Gruden way of thinking.

LOL, that's true!

I'd love to have him.   I'd offer up G-Mac as you guys need a DT that can replace Suh

^keep dreaming, we don't want an old DT that never reached his full potential.

Our team sucks and is in cap hell. At this point everyone should be available to be traded if it benefits the team.

^^^problem is you need to replace him.  how much cap space will you save by cutting him and can you get an equivalent player for a better price.  Same argument against cutting Tannihill, yes you can free up cap space, but how much will his replacement cost. 

I don't think we're in that bad a shape cap wise.  I read that same article and there are a lot of contracts we can get rid of with little to no cap hit.

Exactly.  And that is what people too often don't factor in.  If you are going to cut someone to save salary cap, are you going to be able to replace that person with a better talent at lesser cost?  Very rarely. 

https://www.thephinsider.com/2018/12/21/18150382/pro-bowl-cornerback-xavien-howard-extend-now-wait-contract-extension-miami-dolphins-resign-offseason

I'd keep him but he does have an injury history. If we are truly rebuilding and going to be true shit for 2 years, then I would trade him for a high first rounder. We drafted him in the 2nd round, no need to trade him for one.

Glad you're not the GM lol

Nothing really new to report, but Howard did mention he heard some trade rumors. He did say he wants to be the highest paid CB in the league so I am leaning towards trading him due to his injury history. Plus, we are going to be bad for at least 2 years, so if we can get a 1st rounder and more for him, go for it.

Maybe even take a 2020 1st rounder so we can move up in that draft if we shamefully win 5 games or more that season.

Like I said the last time a thread was made about this...

Fuck no.  He's arguably the best CB in the league right now.  We'll see how he does this coming year, and can pay him or not depending on that.

I agree.  When in a "rebuild" I can see trading top players at some positions.  But it is SO difficult to find top notch CBs that I would have some issues with the concept of trading away one of the best CBs in the league.  Especially considering he is still young.  That guy can be the cornerstone of a secondary for years to come. 

Is there a trade price you would be willing to accept, like a 1st and 3rd rounder?

He will be 29 or 30 by the time the Dolphins are serious contenders. They are saying he may be worth more to the team in draft picks now than he will be in 3 years. 

^He's 25 man, this is a terrible argument.

No, he's more valuable than any one 1st rounder or 3rd rounder.  It would have to be a 1st, 2nd and a late pick, maybe even a 1st this year and next, and that would be for me to consider it.  Anything less than that, we aren't getting value.

So I'm off on his age a little but the truth is cornerbacks are at their peak at age 27. He will be on the downside of that when we are legit contenders.  

There have been numerous teams that have gone from crap to playoffs the next season.  I'm not saying we do that, but 2 years isn't unreasonable.  You do realize, we are one player away from an elite secondary?  As little as one year, we could have an elite defense..need dline and linebackers, but it'll likely be 2 years.  Offense, we need a Oline.  QB will take care of itself, between Foles and drafting someone this year or next.  We need work, but not as much as most think.

That is pretty much where I'm at too. I wouldn't take a 1st and 3rd rounder.  And I wouldn't take a 1st and 2nd rounder from a team that is perennially good because I don't want the 30th pick in the first round and the 30th pick in the second round. 

Agreed, they would have to be a mid/bottom tier type team.

I don't think you are paying attention to what the team is actually doing. Armando has a great article in regards to it today .... and before you say Armando doesn't know anything .... people like Joe Rose and Channing Crowder have been talking about this for a while. They have also spoken about how Armando has more connections on top and inside the organization than anyone. Honestly ... I didn't think they would use the word "tanking" but Armando has said several people inside the know have used that word. Go figure.

https://www.miamiherald.com/sports/spt-columns-blogs/armando-salguero/article225285760.html

ATLANTA
BY ARMANDO SALGUERO

JANUARY 31, 2019 01:25 AM


These are some ways the Miami Dolphins plan to tank in 2019

The Miami Dolphins will not be trading for Nick Foles this spring.

The Miami Dolphins will not be signing Foles, a Super Bowl winning quarterback, if he becomes available in free agency.

The Dolphins aren’t planning on bringing Teddy Bridgewater, a Miami native and scheduled to be an unrestricted free agent, back to South Florida as the starting quarterback of their 2019 team.

The Dolphins aren’t planning on letting Ryan Tannehill remain as the starter in 2019, either, by the way. After seven years with the club, the people who run the organization, including owner Stephen Ross, are agreed they are moving on from Tannehill.

That Tannehill part is not news. That was decided toward the end of last season and reported first in this space on Dec. 23.

What is new, however, is how the break is likely to happen: While the Dolphins hope they can trade Tannehill, thereby getting some sort of draft compensation for the quarterback in return, the chances of that happening are not great.

Trading a player, you see, requires multiple parties to agree -- the team trading him, the team acquiring him, and the player himself.

And because Tannehill’s contract would have to be traded along with the quarterback, it limits the number of teams who would be willing to accept Tannehill because he would cost $18.7 million in base salary in 2019 and $19.5 million in 2020.

That bitter financial pill could be a hard one to swallow for a team that must give up draft pick compensation for player who has been solid but not outstanding as a starter and probably isn’t the kind of quarterback a team brings aboard as their new and unquestioned starter.

Tannehill and his representatives could relieve this issue by agreeing to renegotiate his contract with a new team, but that’s not their priority. Their priority is not to ease the burden of trading for Tannehill or help the Dolphins trade him.

Their priority is to have Tannehill pick where he plays to maximize his chances of succeeding.

So the more likely scenario for resolving Tannehill’s departure from Miami is an outright release of the player at some point in the offseason.

Tannehill, by the way, is expecting that release.

All this from sources around the NFL, within the Dolphins organization, and others familiar with the Dolphins’ plans.

All this as part of a tanking philosophy the Dolphins are about to embark on this offseason.


There have been doubts among fans the Dolphins -- or any NFL team -- could actually plan to tank. Don’t doubt it.

Multiple sources have confirmed that the words “tank,” or “tanking” were used during Miami’s recent round of head coach interviews. It did not come up in every interview. But it came up.

It was discussed.

About that tanking ... It needs to be defined.


Many Dolphins fans believe “tanking” to mean that the coaching staff, players, and everyone in the organization will do what is necessary to lose. That is an artificial approach the Dolphins are definitely not going to take.

The Dolphins aren’t going to throw games on purpose.

Miami’s approach to tanking will be organic.

The club will not dive into the deep end of the free agency pool in 2019, as I reported inartfully in my column Tuesday morning.

So every significant roster need the Dolphins have now -- offensive line, defensive line, cornerback, quarterback -- will not be filled with the best (highest-priced) player available at the position.

That is a departure for Miami.

Recall the Dolphins chased Ndamukong Suh as a free agent in 2015 and he was the best defensive lineman available.

Remember the Dolphins paid exorbitantly for receiver Mike Wallace in 2013’s free agency period.

They not only paid big money for but gave up multiple drafts picks for receiver Brandon Marshall in 2010.

And they chased the best inside linebacker on the market in Karlos Dansby that same offseason.

The Dolphins have been no strangers to purchasing free agents at Saks. They’re going to be thrift store shopping if (big if) they enter the free agency market in 2019.

And the type of free agent the Dolphins are likely to value is changing also.

Last year the team added running back Frank Gore, guard Josh Sitton, and re-signed defensive lineman William Hayes. All those players were over 30 years old. All those players finished the season on injured reserve.

The Dolphins are no longer expected to sign aging free agents who pose a greater possibility of getting injured.

The Dolphins are also going to be shedding talent from their roster this offseason. Yes, Tannehill. But there will be others, too.

And while sources are not agreed on what names will be either cut or traded, the profile of those players is the same:

Think veterans with higher priced contracts that have not exceeded the value of their deals.

That puts a target on players such as Robert Quinn ($12.9 million cap hit in 2019), Andre Branch ($9 million), Sitton ($7 million), and obviously DeVante Parker ($9.4 million).

So with all this news about who the Dolphins are not going to have and not going to sign, the logical question is who the team will have.

It’s simple.

Young players.

Cheaper players.

Players who can be part of better Miami Dolphins teams in better days perhaps two or three years from now.

The Dolphins will be doing all they can to stock up on draft choices for a future date.

That might mean trading down in multiple rounds of the coming draft to add extra picks either this year or next year.

That means filling needs now with the best players available in the draft so they can form a foundation for a great team in the future.

So offensive linemen.

Defensive linemen.

Foundation pieces.

And what about the quarterback position?

A source within the team said this week that Ross loves the idea of Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa being on the Dolphins if he’s available in the 2020 draft. The source said he heard Ross say so.

So the #TankforTua social media movement isn’t just a hashtag birthed as a joke.

It’s real, folks.

And if not Tagovailoa in 2020 then maybe someone better in either 2020 or 2021.

The point is the Dolphins expect to maximize their chances to get to players such as Tagovailoa or maybe Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence in the 2021 draft by losing in 2019 and securing a high enough draft position to be in position to make such high picks.


Is that tanking? Not in the sense the Dolphins will be planning to lose.

But it is tanking in the sense the Dolphins will put a team on the field for at least one year that may not be able to help but lose.

And who will be that sacrificial team’s quarterback?

One source joked this week the Dolphins will give Luke Falk, who was on injured reserve as a rookie in 2018, and recently signed Jake Rudock, a chance to show their abilities. One of those might actually start games for the Dolphins in the coming season.

There probably will be other quarterback possibilities explored as well. But the plan with that quarterback will be apparent. He’s going to join the long line of quarterbacks who followed Dan Marino after he retired in 2000.

But he’s probably not going to remind anyone of Marino’s talent in any significant way.

And when he plays, it will be apparent that he’s trying. But it will also be apparent the Dolphins are tanking.

Armando is going to put out there what the Dolphins want everyone to hear...that could be a smokescreen, or it could be legit, however, you did show me something I haven't seen yet, and it definitely supports what you're saying.  I still think he's going out on a very shaky limb with a lot of his article.

https://www.palmbeachpost.com/sports/20190125/miami-dolphins-cb-xavien-howard-excited-to-play-for-brian-flores (https://www.palmbeachpost.com/sports/20190125/miami-dolphins-cb-xavien-howard-excited-to-play-for-brian-flores)

Howard wants to play for Flores

Xavier Howard has come off his beast season for us, he and Minkah Fitzpatrick can basically be the anchor of our secondary and we can build around them. Reshad Jones in contrast despite being one of my favorite players has come off a difficult season and has a massive salary cap hit, so it would not surprise me to see him in another uniform next season under the circumstances.

Trading Howard makes absolutely no sense unless we are all-out tanking, and really want to bottom out next year for the top pick in 2020.

That said, nothing surprises me anymore from this front office, and I don't mean that in a good way...

We are trying to tank in 2019 and despite his skill, Howard is injured a lot and about to become very expensive. So, it's not unreasonable to see what his trade market is. IMO, if we nail the 2019 and 2020 drafts while doing a great job in 2020 free agency, we still won't compete for the division until 2021 at the earliest. So, I'm fine with weighing all options.

Trade him for a 2nd rounder and I burn down the stadium, though.

Which might be why now is the best time to trade him.  If your new coach takes a page from BB’s playbook it might be the best time to trade a guy is right after he has his best year of his career.  If you believe he has peaked and had a much better year than he is going to typically have going forward, trade him now when someone will give you more in draft picks than he is really worth.