Why Is Anybody Expecting a Dolphins Firesale?

By November 5, a good five or six Miami Dolphins players no longer will be on the roster, having been traded as part of a housecleaning caused by the team's poor performance.

That list will include a lot of big names, like Bradley Chubb and Jaelan Phillips, maybe Jaylen Waddle and Jaylen Wright, and let's throw in De'Von Achane for good measure and even Rasul Douglas.

OK, now back to the real world.

Because what was suggested in the first two paragraphs is an exaggeration, but only a small one, of a perception you can find on social media that the Dolphins are about to have a firesale as they prepare for an overhaul of the organization amid this disappointing season.

But it doesn't make sense now, nor has it made sense in the past because NFL teams don't just start dumping players left and right because they're having a bad season and need to restart, reset, rebuilding, whatever "re" word you want to use.

For the Dolphins, for example, why would it make sense to move players who could help the team win in 2026 when, shocker, the organization will be looking to, you know, win some games.

So when you hear Waddle and Achane being mentioned, understand that the interest from other teams might be legitimate because they're good players, but they're also good players the Dolphins should want to have on their team in 2026 — regardless of the final record of 2025.

Now, when it comes to older players who don't figure to be back in 2026 regardless for various reasons, whether it be age, contract, performance, now, that's a different story.

This is why we could see the Dolphins made a couple of moves at the trade deadline, but the idea of a firesale? Not buying it.

THE EXAMPLES OF THE PAST

For the record, the last time the Dolphins traded a player at or around the NFL trading deadline was 2022 when they sent running back Chase Edmonds to the Denver Broncos — as part of the deal to acquire Chubb.

The last time they traded a player for a draft pick was 2020 when they sent wide receiver Isaiah Ford for a seventh-round pick — not counting the trade of Jakeem Grant to the Chicago Bears in 2021 because that one happened in early October.

Even in 2019, when the Dolphins were in full rebuild mode and all about accumulating cap space and draft capital, they traded away only one player around the trading deadline, that being running back Kenyan Drake going to Arizona for a fifth-round pick.

The Dolphins did make two trades in September that year, but the massive Laremy Tunsil deal came as the result of an offer that was too good to refuse and sending Minkah Fitzpatrick to Pittsburgh had to do with a clash with then-head coach Brian Flores.

Check out the Dolphins' transaction history and you'll find there's never been an instance of a firesale.

Just remember that trade speculation makes for good content, but there's always a lot more rumors than actual transactions.

So, yeah, sure, the Dolphins might make a couple of moves at the trading deadline, but this notion that anybody and everybody could be for sale is a bit much.

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