As we have stated numerous times before, this time of year is ripe with fresh rumors, some are just that, only rumors, other have some weight because in theory they make sense, and others are just too far fetched to believe. The latest rumor involves two of the most active teams in free agency, the Philadelphia Eagles and the Miami Dolphins. Apparently sources are saying that Miami is interested in trading for a member of the Eagles secondary.
One thing that gives this rumor an ounce of plausibility is that most sports gambling fans are aware that the Dolphins are actively looking to upgrade their secondary. However, when one looks at the Eagles secondary one sees a work in progress that is also in need of improvement, so it seems odd that Miami views a plethora of valuable players in the Eagles secondary that are worth trading for.
The Eagles just added Walter Thurmond and Bryon Maxwell in free-agency so it seems quite unlikely that the Dolphins would be willing to trade for any of these two players, since they had a fair chance to sign them in free-agency. The other quality player in the Eagles secondary is safety Malcom Jenkins, but Chip Kelly immediately came out and said Jenkins is not the player in question. Obviously Chip Kelly can say whatever he wants so that comment on Jenkins could just be smoke and mirrors. The player that makes the most sense would be Brandon Boykin.
Boykin has been in the league for 3 years and has predominately played as the Eagles nickel cornerback. He has a knack for getting his hands on the ball, having intercepted 7 passes in his career and whopping 6 in the 2013 season. However, Boykin and Kelly have not always been in agreement, because Boykin wants to play one of the main outside cornerback positions in order to get more playing time, whereas Kelly believes Boykin is too small at 5’10” to be able to handle going against bigger wide receivers on the outside. With that being said, Miami already has a mighty mite in Brent Grimes playing cornerback so they may be welcomed to adding another.
However, this rumor seems a bit too unrealistic because Hickey and the Dolphins have already traded away a 3rd round draft pick and they are now definitely in the market to add draft picks not give away draft picks. So it seems unrealistic for Miami to want to trade away anymore valuable draft picks for a player that is not even an every down stud. One possibility could be that Miami is thinking of unloading Dion Jordan for Boykin, who played for Chip Kelly at Oregon, and who Kelly was rumored to have been interested in trading for before. However, the more reasonable trade though would the Dolphins targeting former pro bowl Evan Mathis, who the Dolphins were also rumored to be interested in earlier in free-agency, and using Dion Jordan as a bargaining chip to complete the trade. Regardless of what happens or does not happen between these two teams, it appears that this is not going to be the last time that these two teams are mentioned together in a possible trade. I personally feel like the Dolphins are trending towards making the Jordan for Boykin trade but I think that a trade for Mathis would make more sense.
Frankly I would say that the Dolphins should put most of their focus on the upcoming draft and try to acquire more picks in the process by looking to trade back, and then if they still do not draft the players and the positions that they are most in need of, then they could look to trying to trade for players from other teams. But even in trying to trade for players from other teams, I would rather go after proven starting high quality players, not players that just appear to have upside. I am ok with drafting players with upside, but if your going to trade for a player that has been playing in the NFL for a couple of seasons, than that player needs to be an established stud. What does the rest of Miami Dolphins fans think about this latest trade rumor involving the Dolphins and Eagles?