Why the Dolphins Trade Down Was a Strong Move

The Miami Dolphins stuck to the process they’ve operated under all offseason, trading down one spot from 11th to 12th overall, with the Dallas Cowboys throwing in two fifth-round picks (177, 180 overall) to get it done.

Dolphins general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan stated in a pre-draft presser that he was more likely to trade down than up, and with highly touted safety prospect Caleb Downs on the board, he followed through on his word.

Trading down one selection, especially when a team has conviction in their board, is a no-brainer. Miami retains control of the top-half of the draft and receives extra capital to take someone who is likely in the same tier of their board as the player they passed on.

Now, a team with very little proven talent and a litany of lottery tickets gets a couple more, and with the lack of depth on the current roster, it’s very possible that these newcomers will see the field early.

Miami’s new picks also fall into their largest void in between selections. Prior to the trade, the gap between Miami’s fifth (151 overall) and seventh-round picks (227 overall) was 76 slots. But by adding picks 177 and 180, they now have the opportunity to select players in a bucket of picks they didn’t previously have access to. This reasserts Miami’s dominance over the draft, as they now have a league-leading 13 draft picks.

Miami is in desperate need of cost-controlled assets, especially considering that they lead the NFL in dead cap. This move is perfect for that, adding a pair of four-year, Day 3 salaries that will help Jon-Eric Sullivan and Jeff Hafley rebuild the bottom of the roster.

The Dolphins are in a position where quantity is potentially even more valuable than individual player quality, and adding picks in this draft gives Miami more to gauge when deciding the future of this roster.

In a reset year for the Dolphins, the incentive will be in evaluating as many players as possible. This roster, in theory, is at its least talented point for the foreseeable future, and thus, is full of opportunity. Being able to seize that by adding to the young corps is the exact “double-off-the-wall” that Sullivan stated he was striving for in this draft.

Plenty can be made of the player Miami passed on in making this deal. Ohio State Buckeyes safety Caleb Downs is regarded as a top defender in this class and plays a position that the Dolphins desperately need to address. However, when judging this trade in a vacuum, Miami comes away as clear winners, as they add to their war chest of draft picks.

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