The Miami Dolphins can try to appear as competitive as they want but everyone in the NFL knows they are in full tank mode. Despite signing quarterback Malik Willis, there just isn't an offensive infrastructure to facilitate consistent winning. Miami's best player on the roster is now running back De'Von Achane and the 24-year-old is entering the final year of his rookie contract. Despite general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan claiming the team is engaging in extension talks and Achane is unavailable for a trade, it's just a matter of time before he and other assets are moved to build more draft capital for 2027.
If Achane comes anywhere close to his 2025 totals (1,350 yards, 12 total TDs) during the 2026 campaign, he's going to be worth close to Kenneth Walker money on the free agent market ($14.35 million AAV). Miami can't afford that even once a significant portion of its $175 million in dead cap is off the books, nor should Achane really want to stick this out. So as the Dolphins need to clear more cap space, trading Achane should be a priority, as well as moving more players out of Miami.
3 more Dolphins who should be traded or cut
LB Jordyn Brooks
The 28-year-old earned his first All-Pro honor after an impressive campaign in 2025. He led the league in tackles (183) and logged 3.5 sacks as defensive captain. With just one year left on his contract, similar to Achane, Miami could be faced with the choice of maximizing his value or shelling out a boat load of cash to keep him around during a rebuild.
The latter doesn't seem sustainable, especially with how much dead cap money is anchoring the franchise down through this season. The Dolphins are going to need as much draft capital as they can get, especially if they aren't one of the first three picks in the 2027 draft with Texas quarterback Arch Manning expected to go first overall. Brooks could easily fetch at least a second-round pick which would be incredibly valuable to Miami.
K Riley Patterson
The Dolphins brought in Zane Gonzalez to compete with Riley Patterson for the starting job in 2026. If they had confidence in the latter, who played 17 games for the franchise last season, they wouldn't have brought Gonzalez in. Both kickers would have an identical cap hit ($1.2 million) so there isn't necessarily a financial tiebreaker to lose one or the other.
That being said, Miami will have to decide behind closed doors which kicker fits better in their 2026 mission. Patterson is the more accurate of the two, setting a franchise record with his 93.1 percent FG conversion rate last year. But Gonzalez has greater range, hitting seven-of-nine from beyond 50 yards in 2025. Patterson means more points but in a tank year, does the team want remain that competitive? You can either cut Gonzalez or trade Patterson to a team that perhaps loses a kicker to injury early in the year.
C Aaron Brewer
Brewer was rated the second-best center in the game last year, per Pro Football Focus (87.4 overall). He's also the player with the third-highest cap hit among players still on the active roster ($9.1 million). The 29-year-old is also entering the final year of his deal with the team and will likely command a significant pay raise in free agency.
This is another case of maximizing value before losing Brewer on the open market. There are plenty of teams that would give up a day two pick for his services, especially in the case of injuries. He may not be moved before April's draft or even by the November deadline but I'd be shocked if Miami doesn't get something back for him before his contract expires next spring. Though the team does run the risk of his own devastating injury and missing out entirely on his potential value.