How the Dolphins Helped the Eagles (and Chiefs) Get to the Super Bowl

The Miami Dolphins were involved in significant trades with both Super Bowl participants

Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver DeVonta Smith (6) runs with the ball against the Washington Commanders during the first half in the NFC Championship game at Lincoln Financial Field. | Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

Miami Dolphins fans don't need to be reminded that the Kansas City Chiefs are headed to the Super Bowl for a third consecutive season since they traded Tyreek Hill to South Florida, but the Philadelphia Eagles also benefited from a big trade with the Dolphins.

A little less than a year before the Dolphins acquired Hill from the Chiefs for five draft picks, they had selected fellow wide receiver Jaylen Waddle with the sixth overall pick in the 2021 draft and that pick came from the Eagles.

After moving down from number 3 to 12 in the first round in a trade with the San Francisco 49ers that netted them two future first-round picks and a third-round selection, the Dolphins gave one of those future first-round picks to the Eagles to move up from 12 to 6.

The full trade involved the Dolphins sending a 2022 first-round pick, plus a 2021 fourth-round selection for the swap from 12 to 6 plus a 2021 fifth-round pick.

The Eagles then moved up from 12 to 10 in the first round in a separate trade with Dallas and took another wide receiver, Waddle's Alabama teammate DeVonta Smith. The 2022 first-round pick became the 15th overall and the Eagles then moved to 13 to select defensive tackle Jordan Davis.

With Smith and Davis, the Eagles landed two starters for a team playing in the Super Bowl for the second time in three seasons.

Given the fact that Smith and Waddle have produced very similar numbers in their first four NFL seasons and it can be debated who's actually the better wide receiver — Waddle is faster and more explosive, Smith is the better route runner and can make the tougher catches — being able to add Davis has made this a slam-dunk win for the Eagles.

EAGLES AND DOLPHINS REGULAR TRADE PARTNERS

That 2021 deal was one of six trades the Dolphins and Eagles have made over the past 10 years, the latest coming during the 2024 draft when Miami sent Philadelphia a 2025 third-round pick for a fourth-round pick last year that was used on running back Jaylen Wright.

Two other trades involved a swap of draft picks, while the other two were significant in helping the Eagles win their first Super Bowl title in the 2017 season.

In 2016, the Eagles gave the Dolphins the 13th overall pick in the draft along with linebacker Kiko Alonso and cornerback Byron Maxwell for the eighth overall selection. The traded worked out great for the Dolphins because they were able to get Laremy Tunsil at 13 after he slid in the first round because of the infamous bong video and Alonso and Maxwell were significant contributors in helping the Dolphins make the playoffs in 2016 for the first time in eight years.

For the Eagles, moving Maxwell and Alonso helped with their cap situation and they weren't vital players for them.

The Eagles also used the eighth overall pick as part of a package to move up to second and take quarterback Carson Wentz. While the trade package, which included a first-round pick in 2017, was very pricey in retrospect given Wentz's career arc, he did play a big role in the Eagles securing the No. 1 seed in the NFC playoffs in 2017 before he was injured and gave way to Nick Foles to finish the team's Super Bowl run.

Also helping that Eagles Super Bowl run was running back Jay Ajayi, who the Dolphins traded to the Eagles during the season for a fourth-round pick that ended up being used on another running back, Kalen Ballage.

THE CHIEFS' DOLPHINS TRADE BENEFITS

The biggest reason the Chiefs were willing to trade Hill in 2022 to the Dolphins primarily was to provide financial flexibility, but they also benefited from the draft picks they got, which included a first, second, two fourths and a sixth over the 2022 and 2023 drafts.

The Chiefs were able to parlay the 2022 first- and fourth-round picks they got in the deal into Trent McDuffie, who has become one of the top cornerbacks in the NFL. The second-round pick became WR Skyy Moore, who has had limited impact in three seasons and currently is on injured reserve.

But there's another key player for the Chiefs who they acquired as the result of a trade with the Dolphins, even though it was a deal that barely made a ripple at the time.

At the trade deadline in 2020, the Dolphins acquired backup running back DeAndre Washington from the Chiefs in a deal where Miami gave up a sixth-round pick for a seventh-round choice as compensation.

The Chiefs used that sixth-round pick in a deal with the New York Jets where the teams switched spots in the fifth and sixth rounds. With those two picks, Kansas City selected current backup tight end Noah Gray and guard Trey Smith, a full-time starter from the time he joined the Chiefs and a pending free agent who should draw a lot of interest if he hits the open market.

So, yes, the Chiefs and Eagles have done well in their trades with Miami, though obviously astute drafting has played a big role in that.