Miami Dolphins Sunday Mailbag: How Much Could the Next Three Games Affect Trade Deadline Outlook

Part 2 of the pre-Jets game Miami Dolphins On SI mailbag:

From Brandon:

With WR injuries in LA, San Fran and Washington, I’m afraid the Brian Thomas price is going up. You mentioned a few weeks back he’d be the right combo of young talent at a fair price. Question is what you’d consider fair? With our pick being No. 1 or 2, I don’t want to go higher than a 4th-rounder. Heck, I’d give them Sieler, Jackson and a 4th. But a 3rd round pick, which 100% will be a top 75 pick, is out of the question, right? Bonus: Why are we waiting on getting a Sieler/Jackson/Brooks trade done? I just know one, or all 3, are getting hurt before the deadline and blowing up any potential deal. I feel it. Plus, wouldn’t a team consider getting them for 10 weeks instead of 8, reason to sweeten the pot even just a little?

Hey Brandon, first off, I don’t see the Dolphins squandering any kind of mid-round pick for a player no longer desired by his original team. There’s also the issue of asset allocation, which comes into play here after the Dolphins used three draft picks on wide receivers this year and will want to give them every chance to succeed before using more draft capital — unless, of course, we’re talking about a special prospect like Jeremiah Smith. As for a trade, I don’t know that the Dolphins are as anxious to dump veteran players as you are, particularly if they feel they can help with the rebuild beyond this year. It’s why I don’t see the Dolphins moving either Sieler or Brooks unless they get an offer too good to refuse. Jackson is a different case because he took a pay cut to return in 2026, has a contract that runs out and might want to play elsewhere next year even if the Dolphins want him back, which certainly isn’t guaranteed. Again, though, the Dolphins aren’t just going to give him away.

From Rich:

Do you think the Dolphins will hold on to Zach Sieler and, if not, what would be the lowest offer (draft pick) that you would be willing to accept?

Hey Rich, that’s a very good question and I’d put the odds at Sieler staying put at something like 50-50, probably a little higher. For me, I don’t think I’d move him for anything less than a third-round pick and I’m not sure how realistic that is.

From Mark Malbeck:

Hi Alain, is Storm Duck eligible to be signed to the PS after his release? On the Jets game, do you see this as one of the remaining games that Miami can win? Do you think ST improves any time soon? I get the talent issue, but it’s like coaching is bad too and it’s costing us.

Hey Mark, Storm Duck became eligible to be re-signed to the practice squad the day he cleared waivers, which was Wednesday. As I’m putting this together in the middle of the afternoon Friday, he has yet to join another team. The Jets do represent one of the Dolphins’ best opportunities to win this season, but I reject the idea that there are unwinnable games. To back that up, I take you back to the 2019 season when the Dolphins going to Gillette Stadium in the finale and upsetting the Patriots to cost them a bye was something nobody could have or should have predicted. Lastly, I blame mostly the players for the special teams woes, though I wouldn’t suggest that coaching is completely blameless. But I hope everybody listened to Mike Tomlin when he pointed out that covering kicks falls on players at the bottom of the roster, those players the Dolphins keep changing on a regular basis.

From Jeff:

Hey Alain, my question is surrounding the identity of this team. Are we more like the Bears or more like the Broncos right now? What exactly does the answer to that question mean? Both teams have a lot of issues and are struggling desperately for separate reasons. The Bears seemingly have a path forward, but the Broncos are just afraid to do anything at all to take a step forward. Tangential sidenote, I genuinely don't think we can judge the Waddle trade because Bo Nix is very, very bad. If the chef can't cook, there's no point in buying high-quality ingredients. Thank you as always for everything you do.

Hey Jeff, not sure I get the Bears or Broncos comps at all. If you’re talking where the Bears were a few years back before they got Caleb Williams, I don’t know if it equates to the Dolphins’ current situation. Nix’s inability and/or unwillingness to throw deep this season doesn’t excuse the drop issues that Waddle has had. And I might suggest it still would be a good trade for the Dolphins even if Waddle was putting up big numbers, which he most definitely is not.

From Jorge Francisco Boyd:

Hi Alain, would the Jets have a better team that their record says? Will the Dolphins be able to have a better offense against a very good Jets defense?

Hey Jorge, no, I think the Jets pretty much are what their record says they are (apologies to Bill Parcells). It’s not a terrible team, but they have a lot of young players just like the Dolphins and a journeyman at quarterback. I’m also not sure I’d call their defense “very good” considering they gave up more than 400 yards against Chicago and over 380 against both Detroit and New England. What the Dolphins will be able to accomplish against that defense, though, I’m not sure. It’s tough to expect a breakout because the offense just hasn’t been very good all year.

From Carl Ménard:

Are the 2026 edition of the Miami Dolphins worse than the 1-15 2007 edition of the Dolphins?

Hey Carl, I would tell you in terms of roster, that 2007 edition was much better than a 1-15 team, except that there were some key injuries (Trent Green, Zach Thomas, Ronnie Brown) and first-year head coach Cam Cameron lost the locker room very, very quickly and it became a very dysfunctional team. But that 2007 team had a lot more proven veterans than this group and I’m pretty confident that Jeff Hafley is much better prepared to be a head coach than Cam Cameron was back then.

From Ed Helinski:

What do the Dolphins need to do to beat the Jets?

Hey Ed, I could be a smart ass and say score more points or go with the usual keys of winning the turnover battle or winning the line of scrimmage, but I’ll try to give you something better and suggest something simpler like capitalizing on opportunities. That means scoring touchdowns from the red zone, getting that interception when given the chance, things of that nature.

From Jeff Kline:

I apologize for this not being a Jets game question, but why is it the Dolphins have Jeff Hafley speak before practices instead of after? Is this just the standard? Just the Dolphins? Seems like so much more information could be given if you guys could ask questions after practice.

Hey Jeff, believe me when I tell you that I think every reporter would prefer speaking to coaches after practice, particularly in training camp when we get to watch the entire practice and could ask about things we observe. In regular season mode, we’re only allowed to watch stretching and individual work and it’s like not any coach in the NFL would volunteer information if asked if anything unusual happened during practice. I would tell you that I believe more teams than not have their head coach speak before practice as opposed to after. The cynic in me would say it’s because they don’t want to address practice happenings, but there also could be scheduling considerations at play (for meetings, etc.).

From Dan Ford:

Hey Alain! Do you think losing the next three games would impact the team’s strategy at the deadline? I love the rebuild mindset, but as a fan I would rather hold on to Brooks and/or Sieler and have a better chance at avoiding 0-17.

Hey Dan, no, I don’t believe the results of the next three games will impact long-term decisions because the Dolphins aren’t looking at this season like a normal season where it’s all about trying to win as many games as possible. The Dolphins are using this season as a springboard to speed up the rebuilding process and it’s going to come down eventually to what they feel is best for the team moving forward, whether it be keeping veterans like Sieler and Brooks or accepting whatever they get in a trade offer instead.

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