Houston and Miami have a deal: Texans are trading LB Benardrick McKinney to the Dolphins for LB Shaq Lawson

The Houston Texans and the Miami Dolphins have struck another deal, but it is not the one we were eagerly anticipating. Linebackers Benadrick McKinney and Shaq Lawson are switching teams ahead of 2021 NFL free agency.

We have a trade between the Houston Texans and the Miami Dolphins, but not the one we were expecting. While their franchise quarterbacks remain in place, these two AFC teams have swapped linebackers with Benardrick McKinney taking his talents to South Beach and Shaq Lawson heading to Houston after only one year with the ‘Phins. These two teams sure love trading with each other.

McKinney had spent his entire six-year NFL career with the Texans out of Mississippi State. The former second-round pick was a Pro Bowler back in 2018, but only played in four games a season ago. Lawson was a former first-round pick by the Buffalo Bills back in 2016, but has not lived up to lofty expectations since leaving the Clemson football program. Maybe a trade helps both parties?

Could the Dolphins and Texans orchestrate another notable trade here soon?

When people think about the Dolphins and Texans making a trade, they think about one of two things. The first is Houston giving up what is now the No. 3 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft for offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil. The other is the possibility of Houston franchise quarterback Deshaun Watson heading to the Dolphins in exchange for second-year pro, Tua Tagovailoa.

Overall, this move may have more to do with the late-round pick swaps more than anything, regardless of what ESPN’s Adam Schefter tried to tell us. Miami has two first-round picks this year, so the Dolphins will be a key team to watch come draft time. With Houston not in possession of its first-round pick, they will need to make some more moves to salvage its difficult offseason.

It is good to see that somethings will never change, like the Dolphins trading with the Texans.