BREAKING : Dolphins Need to Be Sellers at NFL Trade Deadline

Miami’s 2-6 start might be a blessing in disguise, because this team needs a rebuild, writes Andrew Perloff.

Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross has been handed a gift with the team’s 2-6 start. Miami has an opportunity to kick-start a true rebuild by selling aggressively at Tuesday’s trade deadline. GM Chris Grier and head coach Mike McDaniel won’t like it, because their jobs could be on the line. Ross has to intervene and make sure the Dolphins thinks big picture. Otherwise there is no timetable on when they will climb out of this cycle of mediocrity.

We don’t usually group Miami among the all-time bad franchises because it’s won Super Bowls and rarely bottoms out. But the ‘Fins haven’t won a playoff game since 2000 and haven’t gotten to the AFC title game since 1992. The last time they hit the 12-win plateau was ’90. Even the brief glimmer of hope the current team provided by reaching the playoffs the last two seasons hasn’t amounted to much. It’s been 40 years since Dan Marino led them to an AFC title.

Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill

Dolphins receiver Tyreek Hill leaves the field after Miami’s Week 9 loss in Buffalo.

Bill Ingram/USA TODAY Network

Miami is currently +500 on DraftKings to reach the playoffs. Its roster is filled with aging, underperforming veterans. Selling seems obvious. But fans should be afraid that the front office doesn’t share that view. The Athletic’s Dianna Russini reported that teams are calling about 38-year-old defensive lineman Calais Campbell. Agent Drew Rosenhaus, who represents Campbell, told WSVN-TV sportscaster and Athlon Sports contributor Josh Moser that the Dolphins aren’t moving Campbell and are actively trying to improve at the deadline.

Miami can’t get caught up in the delusion that it’s headed somewhere just because it came close against Buffalo on Sunday. Or even worse, think that it ran into bad luck and next year is going to be different. Because nothing will change dramatically if the Dolphins continue on this course.

There are two levels to the kind of moves Miami should make. First, unload the older players who won’t be there next season anyway – like Campbell, 32-year-old running back Raheem Mostert and 33-year-old left tackle Terron Armstead. All three players could help a contender. Let their young backups see the field so they can be evaluated for the future.

After they trade those players for late-round picks, start thinking about the top of the draft. That could mean giving up on Tyreek Hill, even though they just signed him to a three-year, $90 million extension. If the Raiders got a third-round pick that could become a second-rounder for Davante Adams, the Dolphins could get at least a conditional second that could become a first. Maybe even more from a desperate team like the San Francisco 49ers.

Hill is still fantastic at 30. He’s just not going to be part of a Super Bowl team in Miami. The timing doesn’t match up. Maybe he still has enough speed left to help them in ’25. He has no meaningful role in this franchise’s future. Seems like a big hole to fill in that offense, but the Chiefs figured it out and so can Miami down the road.

If the Dolphins don’t have Hill, what does that mean for quarterback Tua Tagovailoa? They just gave Tua a four-year, $212 million deal. Presumably all that money isn’t because he’s only good when Hill’s around. If that’s the case, what do you really have in Tua? Because of his unfortunate issues with concussions, that extension is already looking like a bad investment. The Dolphins have no reason to put themselves into a deeper hole by consistently surrounding Tua with older, more expensive receivers.

Miami already has 10 draft picks next season. If it was an aggressive seller before the deadline it could have the kind of resources to move up for a quarterback. Or the ‘Fins could start to construct a young, talented roster that’s actually ready for a rookie quarterback in ’25 or ’26. They will draft a quarterback within the next three seasons and they should already be operating with that unnamed player in mind.

If the Dolphins went about this the right way, they wouldn’t be doomed to a long, painful rebuild. Even the worst franchises can turn on a dime. Look at Washington’s complete transformation with rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels. Or Joe Burrow’s quick ascension in Cincinnati.

Hill, to his credit, told reporters after the loss on Sunday that they’re focused on winning out the rest of their schedule and reaching the playoffs. That’s what players should think. The front office can’t deceive itself that way. Their defense has too many injuries and they make terrible mistakes for such a veteran team. Safety Jordan Poyer is 33 and has no excuse for the late personal foul that put the Bills in position to win on Sunday.

Nine teams in the NFL currently have two wins. Miami has the best roster in the group. That doesn’t mean it should be thinking playoffs. That means it has an opportunity. The Dolphins have a brief window Tuesday to change the direction of their franchise. If they don’t take advantage, there is no playoff win, let alone a Super Bowl trip, coming in the near future.