NFL trade deadline: Miami Dolphins moves unlikely, but speculation is fun

The NFL trade deadline arrives next week, which means it is time for every team to take one last look at themselves and see if there is that one piece missing that could get them over the hump. Is it a pass rusher? A key offensive lineman? Maybe it is a wide receiver or a cornerback. Whatever it is, by Tuesday of next week, the trade has to be completed.

The trade deadline in the NFL is often a whimper, especially compared to the other sports, where Major League Baseball and the National Basketball Association are crazy around the deadline. That does not mean there isn't another trade like the Seattle Seahawks sending Percy Harvin to the New York Jets floating around out there somewhere.

Turning our attention specifically to the Miami Dolphins, where could they be looking? As a fan, it is always fun to speculate on trades, especially when it comes to your favorite team. What position would you most like to see addressed by the Dolphins on the trade market?

A couple of names that could be interesting, though the asking price might be exhorbitant, are wide receivers Vincent Jackson and Andre Johnson. Jackson is a big target, something the Dolphins do not have, while Johnson may not be as tall, but will go up and fight for a ball in the air, playing like a big receiver. Trading for Jackson would likely cost more, with a couple of draft picks the likely asking price, while Johnson is probably in the mid-round pick range.

Remember, the Harvin trade sent him to the Jets for a sixth round pick that could become a fourth rounder. Not a lot of compensation for a player that cost Seattle three picks, including their 2013 first rounder, to acquire just 19 months earlier. (And you thought the Brandon Marshall trade out of Miami after two seasons was not good return on investment.)

Jakcson's contract runs through 2016, with a $12.2 million salary cap number each year.  Johsnon also has two more years on his current contract, with salary cap numbers of $16.1 million in 2015 and $14.7 million in 2016. Acquiring either player in a trade would have to include a way to lower those numbers, especially if Miami holds on to Mike Wallace, who is signed through 2017 with cap numbers of $12.1 million, $13.7 million, and $13.7 million over those three remaining years. He also counts for $17.25 million this year, part of the NFL's most expensive wide receiver corps.

Do not get me wrong here, I do not really see either of these moves happening. I do not really see Miami making any deals this year, unless something comes along that is surprisingly cheap. That does not mean we cannot look at the possibilities. Jackson and Johnson are definitely possibilities.