Pro Football Rumors
In 2019, the Dolphins launched one of the most aggressive rebuilds in modern NFL history. The Chris Grier-led overhaul did eventually produce some success, with the GM’s 2022 Mike McDaniel hire leading to the franchise’s first instance of back-to-back playoff berths since the early 2000s. But the McDaniel- and Tua Tagovailoa-centered turnaround did not last. The Dolphins moved on from Grier last fall and, after some consideration was given to pairing McDaniel with a new GM, the team started fresh in 2026.
After we covered the team’s decisions to reboot around GM Jon-Eric Sullivan and HC Jeff Hafley in our Offseason Outlook series, the Dolphins’ latest rebuild came into focus. The team made two trades, one a blockbuster, and 13 draft choices. The team also identified Malik Willis as its Tagovailoa successor, but long-term questions remain. Willis also will be leading a roster carrying a record amount of dead money, thanks in large part to the team’s decision to bail on the Tagovailoa contract two years in.
Barely a week after agreeing to terms with Willis, the Dolphins dismantled their long-running wide receiver duo. Having already cut Tyreek Hill in an expected cap-casualty move, Miami ended a five-year partnership with Waddle by sending him to Denver. Waddle, 27, brought back a quality return — one that bettered what the Eagles received for A.J. Brown — and will be expected to turbocharge a Broncos offense that has relied on Courtland Sutton as its clear No. 1 target for the past two seasons. As a Sutton-Waddle duo looks like one of the NFL’s best, the Dolphins created a gaping hole at receiver by trading the former No. 6 overall pick.
The Bills are believed to have offered first- and third-round picks for Waddle at the 2025 deadline, but interim GM Champ Kelly wanted more to send his top healthy pass catcher to a division rival. Buffalo was prepared to part with a 2027 first-round pick and a 2026 third, but Miami decisionmakers wanted a first in the ’26 draft. The Broncos, who were involved in the Waddle market at last year’s deadline, obliged and sent the Dolphins’ new regime their first-round pick.
A February report indicated the Dolphins viewed Waddle as a core player and were unlikely to move on via trade, and it is not believed the team aggressively shopped him. Talks with the Broncos after the Combine became a launch point, however, with the Sean Payton–George Paton regime huddling up with Sullivan after gauging the Kelly-led front office’s price point months earlier. A Dolphins team taking on a record-setting $99.2MM in Tagovailoa dead money decided the Broncos’ offer was sufficient for a centerpiece player drafted by the Grier regime.
Removing Waddle from the Dolphins’ receiving corps will assuredly deal a blow to Willis’ chances of putting quality work on film this season, as the...
