Bucs don’t have to look too far down the road for a possible impact last-minute trade deadline pickup

One in-state standout could be a short and longer-term solution for the team.

Craig Smith, Kyle Crabbs
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The NFL Trade deadline is now a little over 24 hours away, and deals are finally starting to take place. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have yet to move, but there are options that could be there to help give their roster a shot in the arm as they enter the second half of the season.

One possible trade partner is down the interstate a bit and has already shown a willingness to deal key players – the Miami Dolphins. At 2-7, the Dolphins are in sell mode, and they just proved that by trading edge rusher Jaelan Phillips to the Philadelphia Eagles for a third-round pick.

If the Dolphins are willing to entertain moving Brooks, Tampa Bay general manager Jason Licht should be picking up the phone and dialing Dolphins interim general manager Champ Kelly about a deal.

The Bucs should consider trading for Dolphins LB Jordyn Brooks before the deadline

The Bucs’ linebacker group is one that the team is going to have to look at with both a short- and long-term lens. Lavonte David is not having a great season in year 14. Pro Football Focus has given him a career-low 55.8 overall defensive grade and credits him with allowing 31 catches on 35 targets in pass defense with a 115.7 opposing passer rating when targeted. He also has a missed tackle rate of 18.3% per PFF, his highest career rate thus far, with 11 missed tackles attributed to him. At some point – and likely soon – Tampa Bay will need to fill his shoes and move ahead.

SirVocea Dennis has had an even rougher go of things in 2025. He has a PFF grade of 45.9 with a 29.1 coverage mark and has allowed 36 catches on 40 targets for an opposing passer rating of 125.4. He also has a missed tackle rate of 13.9% with 9 missed tackles credited to him.

A sideline-to-sideline missile, Brooks’ strength has been in tackling and in the run game this season with an 80.8 tackling mark (5.2% missed tackle percentage) and a 77.1 run defense mark. He also has generated 11 pressures and 2.5 sacks, something that comes in handy in an aggressive defensive gameplan that Todd Bowles often likes to employ.

I touched base with A to Z Sports Miami writer Kyle Crabbs to get his take on Brooks and what it might take to acquire him.

“Jordyn Brooks will be one of the tougher assets to pry away from Miami for a few reasons. First and foremost, he’s a team captain and leader who has played at or above expectation since arriving in Miami in 2024. As a player who is under contract for 2026, Brooks has a longer appeal as compared to a stripping down of a player on a rental.

If Miami were to trade Brooks, it would be hard to imagine it costing less than another top-100 draft choice. With one and a half years of cost-friendly control on his contract as a do-it-all linebacker in the prime of his career, this should be one that Miami isn’t eager to give away. That should be considered the biggest difference versus the team’s decision to ship out pass rusher Jaelan Phillips on Monday morning.

You want Jordyn Brooks, you’re going to have to pay for it.”

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