Dolphins' Top Trade Targets Entering 2021 NFL Offseason

The Miami Dolphins turned a strong 2020 offseason into a season that saw a very promising future for the organization. The 2021 offseason could pave the way to them becoming a legitimate contender next season.

With Brian Flores leading the coaching staff and general manager Chris Grier building the roster, the Dolphins have proved to have the right pieces in place to build something special in Miami. 

They once again enter the draft with great draft capital. They have two first-rounders and two second-rounders thanks to the Laremy Tunsil trade with Houston. They aren't in the worst place financially either. According to Over the Cap, they have the eighth-most cap space heading into the offseason. 

Those two things should also set them up to be in the trade market if they so choose. With extra draft picks in premium positions as well as additional Day 3 picks, the Dolphins have the means and cap space to take on money.

Grier has done a great job, and last season's rebuilding of the defense through free agency is a perfect example. If he's looking to improve the roster further this season through the trade market there's more than one player who would make sense to come to South Beach.

Let's start with the obvious. 

If you have a chance to acquire an elite quarterback, you have to do it. It isn't every day that an elite quarterback wants out of their situation and requests a trade. But that's precisely what Deshaun Watson has done heading into the offseason, per Adam Schefter of ESPN.  

The Texans struggled to a 4-12 record last season but little of that has to do with Watson. He was second in the league in passer rating, completed more than 70 percent of his passes and led the league in passing yardage while throwing 33 touchdowns to seven interceptions.

That level of play from the quarterback position should equate to a playoff team. 

In Miami, it would. The Dolphins have Tua Tagovailoa, and yes, apart from a Watson trade they should give him at least a full year to prove his worth as the franchise quarterback. But the possibility of getting Watson changes all of that. 

Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald reported that Watson—who has a no-trade clause and will need to approve any trade destinations—prefers the New York Jets right now but has Miami as his No. 2 option. 

The Texans have Watson under contract until 2025, so there's no financial impetus for them to trade him. They would need to be blown away by an offer, and the Dolphins are one of the few teams who have the ability to do that. 

They could (and should) package Tagovailoa with multiple first-round picks and additional picks to bring Watson into the fold. He would still be walking into a situation with a good defense to back him up and good enough weapons in DeVante Parker, Preston Williams and Mike Gesicki to be a potent offense. 

This would be a game-changer in the AFC East, where the Dolphins would have a quarterback to compete with Josh Allen and the Bills. 

If the Texans don't want to talk about Watson, Grier should still be giving new Texans general manager Nick Caserio a call regarding his star defensive lineman. 

J.J. Watt is the most popular Texans player of all time. Seeing him play in different colors would be a strange sight to be sure, but he doesn't really make sense on Houston's roster at this point.

He'll be 32 years old next season, which means he doesn't fit in with the impending rebuild. The team can save $17.5 million in cap space by trading or releasing him. Releasing him would bring nothing in return, so it makes sense they would be looking to deal the veteran. 

Watt isn't the dominant force he used to be, but his 29 total pressures still would have been second behind Emmanuel Ogbah on the team last season. He's still an incredible run defender as well. He was Pro Football Focus's seventh-ranked edge defender last season.

That's with him playing on a Texans defense that was limited in the pass-rush department and offensive lines were able to focus their attention on him. 

In Miami, he would be on a defense that already has great coverage and enough pass-rushing threats and does enough blitzing that he would rarely be doubled. That could lead to a renaissance for him at this stage of his career and an even better defense for the Dolphins in 2021. 

Many of the reasons the Dolphins should be in on a J.J. Watt trade are also applicable to Von Miller. He will be 32 next season, and the Broncos have to decide on the 2021 option that will cost them $22.2 million to exercise. 

If they trade or release him they will save $18 million against the cap. Considering his age and production (2019 was his first season with fewer than 10 sacks since an injury-shortened season since 2013, and he missed 2020 altogether with an ankle injury), it may be time for both to part ways. 

Much like Watt, Miller has lost a step. He wasn't the dominant force that he's been through his career in 2019 but was still a solid pass-rusher. He amassed eight sacks and 37 total pressures which would have tied Ogbah for the most on the team this season. 

Miller's salary is a steep price to pay for a veteran, but it isn't any more expensive than it would cost to bring on one of the better options in free agency. Bud Dupree, Matt Judon and Shaquil Barrett could all be available, but all three figure to carry heavy price tags on long-term deals. 

Trading for Miller would allow them to make just a one-year commitment and renegotiate a cheaper deal when he is even older. The Dolphins get a difference-maker in a key element of their defense while the Broncos get some cap flexibility and some draft compensation. 

That's a win-win and something that could make a difference for the Dolphins defense as they fight to improve on a big season in 2020.