NFL Trade rumors: Could Dolphins be buyers at trade deadline? CBS Sports suggests a move

Could the Miami Dolphins be buyers at the NFL’s trade deadline? It seems odd given how long this franchise has been mired in mediocrity, but as the current rebuild continues to show promise, it could mean Miami starts looking to win, and win now. Of course, the price would have to be right for the Dolphins to make a move and not mortgage the work they have already done or the future of the franchise, but there could be some rationale to the Dolphins adding a piece or two this year.

Sitting in second place in a wide-open AFC East, Miami is currently in a position to make a playoff push. A lot of that is dependent on the play of rookie quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, who will make his first career start on Sunday, but the team has to make trade decisions quickly. The NFL trade deadline is 4pm ET on Tuesday, November 3. If Miami is going to be buyers, they are going to have to do it soon.

CBS Sports’ Patrick Walker sees a move Miami could make, but it is not one that would give a weapon to Tagovailoa. Instead, he sees the Dolphins as making a run to acquire linebacker Ryan Kerrigan from the Washington Football Team. He writes of the speculation:

This is something that should seriously intrigue head coach Brian Flores.

Being a former linebackers coach, Flores knows how important it is to have guys who can get after the opposing quarterback. The problem for Miami is they don’t have enough players who can actually do in on a play-to-play basis. Kerrigan certainly can, and adding him to the roster would be a strong boost to a pass rush that normally sees only Emmanuel Ogbah putting hands on the opposing signal-caller (five sacks through six games). The Washington Football Team is one of the few clubs who have an embarrassment of riches on arguably the best defensive line in the NFL, having not been ravaged by injury as other teams have.

That allows them the ability to move on from Kerrigan and see what they can land in exchange, and the Dolphins should note he still has plenty of fuel left in his tank, as evidenced by his four sacks on the year with only one start. With the addition of first-overall pick Chase Young, Kerrigan’s reps in Washington have been scaled back in a major way, but that wouldn’t be the case for the 32-year-old if he’s moved to South Florida.

A former first-round pick himself (2011), Kerrigan has perennially been one of the most dominant pass rushers in Washington, his four Pro Bowl nods and the fact he’s the franchise’s all-time sack leader simply driving home that point. It’s a ready-made pass rush boost for a Dolphins team still in position to shock the world and and take the AFC East, so make this trade happen.

Miami, despite being 11th in team sacks this year, could use an additional pass rusher. Kerrigan would be an intriguing option if the Dolphins wanted to make a move. Would be provide the piece the defense is missing?

What would be the cost to go get the linebacker? Would Miami be willing to double the number of players on the roster over the age of 30, with Kerrigan joining quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick?

Do you think Miami could be buyers at the trade deadline?