The Phinsider
How did the fans react to the Miami Dolphins’ two trades this week? We asked and you answered.
The Miami Dolphins had a busy week heading into the Independence Day weekend. While the coaches and players are enjoying the break between minicamp and the start of training camp, the front office was busy adjusting the roster. Miami made two trades during the week, with four Pro Bowl players on the move following the deals.
Earlier this week, we asked you to grade those trades and to predict where the Dolphins will finish in the AFC East this year. You responded, voting in our SB Nation Reacts poll, and we now have the results. What did you think of the Dolphins’ trades?
Cornerback Jalen Ramsey, who spent the offseason disgruntled and looking for a new team, and tight end Jonnu Smith, who wanted a pay raise after his first career Pro Bowl appearance last year, both had been rumored to be on the trade market. This week’s roster moves proved those rumors true. The Dolphins packaged the two players, along with a conditional 2027 seventh-round draft pick, to acquire safety Minkah Fitzpatrick and a 2027 fifth-round pick from the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The Dolphins created a hole at tight end with the trade, sending away Smith, and reinforced the team’s need to add cornerback help with the official move on from Ramsey; still, they were able to add to their defensive secondary in bringing Fitzpatrick back to South Florida. Miami selected Fitzpatrick with the 11th overall pick in 2018. Still, after spending his rookie season under then-head coach Adam Gase and making the change to then-head coach Brian Flores in his second season, Fitzpatrick’s frustration with how the team was using him led to a trade with the Steelers. A little over five seasons later, he returns to Miami under current head coach Mike McDaniel.
Miami was not done, however. With the tight end position now a need, the Dolphins made a second trade, picking up tight end Darren Waller from the New York Giants the next day. Waller sat out the 2024 season, having decided to retire, but rumors indicated that this year he was considering a return, with a desire to play in Miami. Miami included a conditional 2026 sixth-round draft pick in the trade and received back a 2027 seventh-round pick.
What did fans think of these moves? Our first question in this week’s survey provides us an answer:
The fans give the trades a B, with nearly two-thirds of them giving it either an A or a B mark. Overall, the fans seem to think this is good for the Dolphins, with some optimism emerging from it.
We also asked you to discuss your grades in the comments of the survey. Here are some of the responses you gave:
The second half...
