What the Jaylen Waddle trade means for Malik Willis and how much do the Dolphins already hate him?
This has been an AWESOME offseason. We have a trade! The Miami Dolphins have agreed to trade Wide Receiver Jaylen Waddle and a 4th round pick to the Denver Broncos in exchange for 2026 1st, 3rd and 4th round picks. The trade is pending a physical (That’s important to remind people of since that wild Maxx Crosby turn of events last week).
The trade looks pretty fair on paper. The Broncos are getting an upgrade at wide receiver while the Dolphins get three new early round draft picks. The trade does leave me with one massive question, however. What does this trade say about Malik Willis?
Just weeks ago the Dolphins released Tua Tagovailoa, who immediately signed with the Falcons. The Dolphins then quickly signed Malik Willis, who I think could be a Franchise Quarterback. This trade has me wondering if the Dolphins think otherwise. By getting rid of the guy that was going to be Willis’s top receiver, are the Dolphins saying they view this season as a complete rebuild? If so, why guarantee Willis $45 Million on a three year deal? The Dolphins could have flipped a 6th round pick to Kansas City and gotten Justin Fields for $1.2 million. Kyler Murray was also available for a league minimum deal (Since Arizona is paying over $37 Million of his contract this year). Even if one of those guys (or Russell Wilson) play awful, the Dolphins would be in good position to draft their QB of the future in 2027 - a much more promising quarterback draft class.
The flip side to the Waddle trade exists too. The Dolphins could believe in Malik Willis SO MUCH that they don’t think he needs Waddle. The Dolphins could decide to use their new draft picks bolstering the offensive line and putting weapons around their new quarterback. Even if that’s still technically “rebuilding” - It is possible to rebuild while winning. The Patriots just reached the Super Bowl in a “rebuild” year.
My way too early prediction is that the Dolphins are going to struggle in 2026. Not because Malik Willis isn’t good - I think he is. But if they don’t give him any weapons, how can they expect him to succeed?
We’ll reassess like a thousand times before the regular season kicks off on September 9th or 10th (Yes, the NFL is reportedly considering a Wednesday Season Opener this year).