Let’s begin here: Cornerback Jalen Ramsey was missed by the Miami Dolphins. While the rest of the team was stretching, they won’t miss his frequent attendance at practice.
They won’t forget how he consistently sabotaged coach Mike McDaniel last season and defensive coordinator Vic Fangio two years ago in a way that reverberated across the squad.
However, how can a squad be improved on the eve of July by moving two effective players—Rasmus Ramsey and tight end Jonnu Smith—for a returning guy, Minkah Fitzpatrick, who you hope is still healthy after a poor season?
Do you think this difficult decision was made correctly by a management team that has made so many poor choices?
The Dolphins’ only real triumph is on the financial ledger, as general manager Chris Grier linked two of his worst trades—a youthful Fitzpatrick leaving in 2019 and a senior Ramsey arriving in 2023—with yet another dubious deal.
After the deal is finalized, they will save roughly $23 million. If they want to use it to aid in the upcoming season, that is something. However, are they? And at this stage of the off-season, for whom?
Say hello to Fitzpatrick once more. In one of the team’s worst transactions ever, Fitzpatrick left the Dolphins in 2019 for a first-round pick (tackle Austin Jackson). His role caused him to clash with coach Brian Flores. Do you recall?
Grier then transferred Fitzpatrick to Pittsburgh, where he was selected to the Pro Bowl five times, became a three-time All-Pro safety, tied for the league lead in interceptions one season, won the Bart Starr Award for his efforts on and off the field the following year, and generally headed toward a career in the Hall of Fame.
before he had just one interception in the previous two seasons. Well, hmm.
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Did some say it was the system? Damage? Age (in November, he will be 29)? Was Fitzpatrick traded by the Dolphins while he was at the height of his powers in 2019 and then returned on Monday after hitting a career snag? Or does a great player get renewed by this?
Fitzpatrick, the quarterback-at-safety that defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver values, is the Dolphins’ finest defensive back right now. This season, he also costs $15 million. Ramsey costs $26 million and will turn 31 during the season. Smith had to be added by the Dolphins in order to complete the trade.
Ramsey was just as stinky as that. The Dolphins wanted to get rid of him that badly. Before he arrived, Jacksonville and the Los Angeles Rams also cautioned the Dolphins. Grier paid $52 million for Ramsey’s 27 starts, five interceptions, one Pro Bowl season, and a string of internal issues up to Monday’s trade, but he still gave a third-round pick to the Los Angeles Rams in 2023.
He came to represent the Dolphins’ practice of acquiring talent rather than assembling a team. The Dolphins’ culture from the previous season was shaped by Ramsey and Tyreek Hill’s persistent tardiness to practices and meetings.
In order to get rid of Ramsey, Smith ended up becoming the trade sweetener. Last season, Smith recorded a career-high 88 receptions and eight touchdowns. However, he does not block like McDaniel’s offense does; instead, he is a receiving tight end. In Pittsburgh, he received an instant rise of $12 million.
The question is no longer how to value that. That’s how all those catches are changed. Is Tanner Conner, whom people have adored for the previous few years, still the hope after his injury? Julian Hill in a more expansive capacity? Will there be another trade soon?
In Pittsburgh, Smith will develop into a desirable target for quarterback Aaron Rodgers. Like the Dolphins, the Steelers are vying for a postseason berth. With veteran players, they’re going all out. The Dolphins’ performance is good, but isn’t it difficult to perceive the plan? Is it only to ensure that players arrive to sessions on time?
It’s difficult to imagine them outperforming a Pittsburgh club that consistently has a better grasp of players’ career schedules. A Fitzpatrick in his youth. Both Joey Porter and an older Mike Wallace. It is not necessary for us to go over the years in detail.
Raheem Mostert, a former running back for the Dolphins, had an idea Monday from his new residence in Las Vegas: Hot take: Get treated like a s if you play for the Dolphins and make it to the Pro Bowl. But I’m happy for my boys! GO FOR IT!
That’s going to stir things up. However, Mostert was also dissatisfied with his playing time in Miami by the end. Therefore, it’s best that he’s gone. Ramsey is also far superior.
To claim that the Dolphins won’t miss Ramsey, however, is one thing. Another question is how this squad can win after losing two productive players in the hopes of winning.
