The latest Miami Dolphins trade deadline suggestion makes absolutely zero sense
A new NFL trade deadline proposition for the Miami Dolphins makes little to no sense at all.
We are less than one week away from the 2026 NFL trade deadline, at which point all of the league speculation about players on the move will cease. At least until the winter. That will be a merciful development for the Miami Dolphins. Miami has already conducted a stripping of the roster, yet pundits continue to tie the team to more goodbyes.
The Dolphins should entertain sensible business at the deadline, just as any team would. But consider ESPN’s latest trade deadline proposition — it sounds like a great idea on the surface. Until you consider Miami’s perspective.
The Miami Dolphins should resist the urge to trade cornerback JuJu Brents
“The Lions’ secondary is helped immensely by getting safeties Kerby Joseph and Brian Branch back from injury, but they could still use another cornerback. (JuJu) Brents becomes a free agent at the end of this season and has been surprisingly effective for the Dolphins, ranking third among qualifying cornerbacks in my coverage DVOA metric behind Trent McDuffie and Jahdae Barron.”
— ESPN’s Aaron Schatz
Look, man. I get it. Brents has been a player who has struggled with durability issues throughout the first three years of his NFL career. And as a player in a contract year, it’s always easy to presume a “goodbye” is on the horizon. But let’s consider where the Dolphins are at from a roster perspective right now. Is this season not about finding out who you can ride with long-term?
Who are the long-term answers on the edge behind Chop Robinson? What do we know about the SAM linebacker position? Are the safeties in Miami ultimately going to be the long-term pieces? And what about the other corner spot when Miami is in nickel? Will Zach Sieler be in Miami after this season? That is a whole bunch of questions. So when you find players that have built up sweat equity and you see growth within your system, shouldn’t you want to keep them?
There’s surely a price at which point the Dolphins would probably have to say yes for any team calling for Brents. For me, it would require an early Day 3 pick. My A to Z Sports Lions colleague Mike Payton tabbed the A to Z Sports trade simulator tool and found the proposed value for Brents to be a 6th-round pick.
You know how easy it is to pick up a 6th-round pick during NFL Draft weekend? Seattle moved down from 96th overall to 99th overall and picked up a 6th-round pick last year in the 2026 NFL Draft. Is THAT value really worth saying goodbye to a potential answer that could, in theory, help fill one of the many holes on the roster? What good does a season spent looking for answers do you if you say goodbye to the potential answers you find for pennies? Brents has played well enough to warrant consideration as an extension candidate. And lord knows Miami needs to retain some success stories from their many expiring contract this upcoming offseason.
If the Detroit Lions or any other team want to call Miami about JuJu Brents, great. By all means. But don’t call looking for a discount. Miami’s not that team anymore. Or at least they shouldn’t be.
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