Where Do The Miami Dolphins Go From Here After The Jalen Ramsey Trade

As many of you know, not only Jalen Ramsey but also Jonnu Smith were traded to the Pittsburgh Steelers today, along with the Steelers getting a 2027 seventh-round pick in exchange for Minkah Fitzpatrick and a 2027 fifth-round pick. This move, do not get me wrong, does provide a gaping hole at tight end now with just Pharaoh Brown and Julian Hill at tight end for the Dolphins.

As always, I have three reasons as to where the Dolphins can go after the trade, so let us take a Deep End Dive into this blockbuster of a trade that the National Football League was just waiting to happen.

Cap Savings

The Miami Dolphins saved six point seven million in Jalen Ramsey’s cap charge since they waited till after June 1st to trade him. Now, with Jonnu Smith, he gets a one-year, $12 million contract extension with the Steelers through the 2026 season. So the “dead money” from both contracts, in essence, would go against this season’s cap. Jonnu’s cap hit was I think four point six four million against the cap in 2025 with a base salary of three point four nine million. The Dolphins might not be able to save that much with Smith as they did with Ramsey, but it is saving nonetheless.

Adds Room To Sign More Guys

Trading both Jalen Ramsey and Jonnu Smith kind of gives you some more flexibility with the cap to make some moves to maybe go after someone in free agency, like Asante Samuel or Rasul Douglas. Two names who have been linked to the Dolphins before, however, now that you have Minkah Fitzpatrick, you still need some more depth at the defensive back position group in order to compete with the “elite” teams that I discussed in my last article.

In fact, on Tobin and Leroy today on WQAM, they were discussing that the Dolphins are looking to fill the void at tight end and that they are in talks with multiple teams about that. That was Tom Pelissero reporting on how the Dolphins are trying to fill the void at the tight end position. That would be great if they could get, say, Kyle Pitts from Atlanta, if we can get him for a good price.

Welcome Back Minkah

Minkah Fitzpatrick makes his glorious return to the Miami Dolphins after a long five-season hiatus. He is twenty-eight years old, three years younger than old man Jalen Ramsey. Ramsey is not even on our team anymore, and I am already getting salty about him, and we will see him and hopefully Minkah locking up Jonnu Smith on Monday Night Football on December 15th against the very Pittsburgh Steelers that the Dolphins dealt Jonnu and Ramsey to.