Dolphins return from Trey Lance trade has been an unthinkable win
By John Buhler
One day, people will write books about how badly the Miami Dolphins won the Trey Lance trade with the San Francisco 49ers.
With former San Francisco 49ers No. 3 overall pick Trey Lance heading to the Dallas Cowboys in a late preseason trade, the Dolphins have won their draft-day trade with the Niners swimmingly.
The 49ers crapped the bed worse than Kendall Roy when it came to drafting and developing the former Walter Payton Trophy winner out of North Dakota State. Lance had one great year for the Bison, and that was before COVID. He played one more college game before turning pro. Like an inner fat boy, Kyle Shanahan really wanted some Five Guys 'Round Three. Oh, they screwed up horrifically...
Here is a look at all the players the Dolphins got as a result of the draft trade made with the 49ers for being in a position to draft Lance third overall. How do you royally screw up this badly, San Francisco?
The Dolphins were able to draft impact players out of college in former Alabama star wide receiver Jaylen Waddle and Georgia linebacker Channing Tindall. Even more impressive, the Dolphins were able to acquire superstar wide receiver Tyreek Hill from the Kansas City Chiefs, as well as edge rusher Bradley Chubb from the Denver Broncos with some of the picks they got from the same 49ers trade.
I hate to say it, but this level of front-office dips******g buffoonery will cost the 49ers a Super Bowl.
Miami Dolphins swam laps around San Francisco 49ers in Trey Lance deal
Not since Dan Marino was living his best pre-internet life in the 1980s has it been this good to be a Dolphins fan. Michael "Squints" Palledorous got pulled out of the 49ers' dirty draft-day pool and was brought back to life by something windy in South Beach. With Mike McDaniel entering year two as head coach, we should expect for the Phins to be a playoff team, as long as Tua Tagovailoa can play.
Even though Tagovailoa's NFL ceiling is not all that much higher than 49ers starter Brock Purdy's, the Dolphins are a few years back of San Francisco in terms of their competitive life cycle. Yes, they play in the tougher AFC, but they will be at least two years back of the 49ers when it comes to possibly hitting the reset button. In short, Miami is ascending, whereas San Francisco is only trying to sustain.
The other thing you have to remember with the Dolphins' accumulation of talent directly stemming from the Lance trade with the 49ers is this. Taking Chubb away from the Broncos and Hill away from the Chiefs made two theoretical competitors in the AFC worse. Of course, the Dolphins brass needed to hit on its draft picks with Waddle and Tindall, but those seem to be heading in the right direction.
Drafting and developing a young quarterback is always a gamble, but what were the 49ers thinking?