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Washington Commanders tight end Colson Yankoff (80) carries the ball defended by Miami Dolphins safety Minkah Fitzpatrick (29) in the first quarter during the 2025 NFL Madrid Game at Santiago Bernabeu Stadium. Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Did the Dolphins Steal from the Steelers?

Originally posted on Miami Dolphins on SI
By Alain Poupart | Last updated Dec 1, 2025 12:53 PM ET

So maybe the Miami Dolphins did more than salvage their big trade with the Pittsburgh Steelers and actually won the trade.

And, taking things further, maybe they won the trade big.

Call it an overreaction, but that sure is the way it feels in the aftermath of Minkah Fitzpatrick playing hero in the Dolphins' 21-17 victory against the New Orleans Saints at Hard Rock Stadium while Jonnu Smith was getting called out by his quarterback after the Steelers' humbling home loss against the Buffalo Bills and Jalen Ramsey was a non-factor.

We already have covered extensively Fitzpatrick's exploits against New Orleans, which included his first NFL sack in his 118th game but more importantly his two-point return after he intercepted Tyler Shough on a two-point conversion attempt, a play that might have won the game considering the Dolphins clinched the victory with a stop on downs after the Saints had driven into field goal range.

At Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh, meanwhile, Smith had one catch for 6 yards on only two targets; Ramsey was in on tackles, but five of them were after gains of 15 yards or longer and only one was after a gain of less than 5 yards (it was 3 yards).

Worse for Smith, he was called out by name by quarterback Aaron Rodgers after the game for running a wrong route.

#Steelers QB Aaron Rogers on building a connection with his receivers: "When there's film sessions, everybody shows up. When i check to a route, you do the right route. Jonnu [Smith] and I weren't on the same page. I checked to his in-breaker and he ran an out-breaker. Jonnu is a… pic.twitter.com/qaGeY83RS9
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) December 1, 2025

WHY MIAMI WON THIS TRADE

All three players were rewarded financially after the trade sent Ramsey and Smith to the Steelers and Fitzpatrick to Miami, but it's the Dolphins who have gotten the most for their money this season.

While PFF grades aren't the end-all, be-all (our usual disclaimer), it's worth noting that Fitzpatrick is ranked second among 83 NFL safeties, while Ramsey is ranked 33rd among cornerbacks even though the Steelers are now using him at safety as well.

Perhaps more significantly, the Dolphins are 14th in the NFL in pass defense and 23rd in total defense, while Pittsburgh is 28th in both pass defense and total defense.

Smith, meanwhile, has seen his numbers come crashing after he enjoyed a career year in 2024 as Tua Tagovailoa's safety valve in the short passing game.

After setting career highs with 88 catches for 884 yards and eight touchdowns, Smith has a meager 30 catches for 190 yards and two touchdowns in 12 games so far this season.

While we expected Smith's numbers to go down in Pittsburgh with the presence of fellow tight ends Pat Freiermuth and Darnell Washington, meaning he simply wouldn't have the same opportunities he had in Miami, the decline is startling. What really stands out is the fact that Smith has not once reached 30 receiving yards in any game this season and his season high of five catches came in Week 1.

Last season, Smith reached five catches eight times and 50 receiving yards also eight times.

Now, it's fair to say the Dolphins could have used Smith at times this season, specifically in the first three weeks when Darren Waller still was working his way back from his hip injury or when Waller was on IR with his pectoral issue, but whether he would have been able to duplicate his 2024 production certainly can be debated.

And the Dolphins certainly weren't wrong in holding the line as far as giving him an extension.

And when it comes to the safety swap — because that's what Ramsey, as we predicted, would happen at some point, would happen — the Dolphins got the better of the two players at this time.

This was all done, we just remind everyone, while getting rid of a player who had become a headache, a player who wanted out.

So, yeah, this is one trade that's worked out pretty darn well for Miami.

This article first appeared on Miami Dolphins on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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