My jaw dropped so fast early Saturday evening when I heard the Miami Dolphins traded their best offensive lineman Laremy Tunsil and best wide receiver Kenny Stills to the Houston Texans for two first round picks and a second-round pick. As a fan was shocked, dejected, and frankly depressed because my favorite team was trading two of their best players. However, taking my emotions out of it this was probably the best deal for the Dolphins future moving forward. General manager Chris Grier has been re-gutting this roster since March to get out of bad contracts and letting older players leave as free agents. He also did little in free agency so the losses will turn into compensatory draft picks next year. The Dolphins also acquired more draft picks either on draft day trades or agreeing to trade players with salaries to get future pick. The plan is simple the Dolphins want to build through the draft and put themselves in position to get a franchise quarterback.
Now Tunsil is their best offensive lineman and one of the up and comers entering the prime of his career. His rookie contract has two more years left including the 5th year option. With all of the money created in the future and with Tunsil becoming a corner stone to build your team around, one would figure it was only a matter of time before the Dolphins give him a huge contract extension.
***SUNDAY*** https://t.co/jTLjtUE3tr Daily Daily: We break down the Tunsil/Stills trade to Houston and tell you what this means moving forward? Were they right to make this trade? We tell you what we think. https://t.co/FIZp2cmART
— DolphinsTalk.com (@DolphinsTalk) September 1, 2019
Except teams are always calling around about availability of players and the Dolphins have never openly wanted to trade Tunsil. However, that’s not to say they wouldn’t listen. The Houston Texans have a pass rusher in Jadeveon Clowney playing on the franchise tag and he and the team were deal locked in contract talks. The Texans are desperate for offensive line help they inquired about a Tunsil for Clowney deal, but the Dolphins didn’t just want a player for player deal. They wanted Clowney and a couple of high draft picks. The Dolphins met with Clowney hoping to convince him to come to Miami and sign is franchise tag, but Clowney said no and the Texans only wanted to give up one first round pick, as reported. The Texans don’t have a general manager and their head coach Bill O’Brien is on the hot seat and making all of the football decisions until the team hires a general manager after the season, but the problem is a new general manager might not want to keep O’Brien around. O’Brien knowing Clowney wouldn’t go to the Dolphins and wasn’t going to get a long-term deal with him panicked and traded him to the Seattle Seahawks, one of a couple teams Clowney was only interested in going to, for a 3rd round pick. The problem is O’Brien didn’t solve his offensive line problems and his quarterback Deshaun Watson was going to take more hits if he didn’t make a move.
The Dolphins wouldn’t consider trading Tunsil unless it was on their terms, but O’Brien panicked again and with his job on the line mortgaged the future and offered two first round picks. Somehow Still came into the deal and let’s face it the Texans needed a complimentary receiver to DeAndre Hopkins so the they threw in an extra second round pick. Grier and the Dolphins made the move despite knowing they were giving up two of their best players, but they committed to a full rebuild and they got the best value they could get. The Dolphins also traded a 4th round pick and received two other players, but the main part of this deal was Stills and Tunsil for two first round picks and a second.
Grier did best thing for the franchise as hard as it is to swallow. The Dolphins this off season have been getting out of bad contracts and trying to add draft assets to put themselves in position to make a move on a potential franchise quarterback next year or possibly the year after maybe even both years. I know Grier didn’t want to trade Tunsil unless he was overwhelmed with a trade for him. Plus, the Texans are a desperate football team that sees themselves on the cusp and when teams get that way they make desperate moves. Over the years the Dolphins have traded draft assets and sign big contract to free agents that didn’t pan out. They have had chances to make deals to get a potential franchise quarterback and were afraid to pull the trigger. The Dolphins have never full gone into a full blown rebuild like this off season. It was time for Grier to shake things up and shake up the core of this team even if the team won’t get results right away.
Let’s face it the Dolphins have nothing to lose and everything to gain with this trade. Whereas the Texans have a lot to lose if this deal comes back to bite them namely O’Brien will be out of the job. Grier smelled blood in the water and took advantage and got the deal that will shake up this franchise for years to come.
Not a fan of this deal, doesnt matter what QB you have behind Center if he doesnt has Time to throw , and quality LT doesnt grow up in trees , Time Will tell if Grier messed it up or not.