After falling to 1-5 with a loss to the Chargers in Week 6, the Dolphins are looking like clear-cut sellers leading up to the Nov. 4 trade deadline. Pass rushers Bradley Chubb and Jaelan Phillips are among Dolphins who could wind up on the move. Opposing teams are eyeing both players, Adam Schefter of ESPN told the Pat McAfee Show on Monday.
Chubb recorded 11 sacks in 2023, his second year in the double digits, but he suffered a torn ACL, meniscus, and patellar tendon in the penultimate game of the regular season. While Chubb’s devastating knee injury cost him all of last season, the two-time Pro Bowler has returned this year to offer solid production for the floundering Dolphins.
The 29-year-old Chubb has played in all six games this season while logging a 69.5% snap share on defense. He leads the Dolphins with four sacks, though his performance hasn’t impressed Pro Football Focus (subscription required). PFF ranks Chubb 95th among 110 qualifying EDGE players. Despite that negative evaluation, teams in need of pass-rushing help are monitoring Chubb.
Acquired from Denver in a November 2022 blockbuster, Chubb may leave Miami in another deadline deal in the coming weeks. Chubb signed a hefty five-year extension worth $110MM shortly after the Dolphins landed him, locking him up through 2027, but they reworked that pact last March. As a result, Chubb – who’s on a $12.33MM cap hit this season – isn’t owed any guaranteed money beyond 2025. That should make it easier for the Dolphins to move him.
A former Miami Hurricane, Phillips has spent his entire career with the Dolphins since they used the 18th overall pick on him in 2021. While Phillips has been effective, multiple serious injuries have prevented him from realizing his full potential. An Achilles tear limited Phillips to eight games in 2023, while a partially torn ACL held him to four appearances last year.
Phillips has returned this season to rack up a significant amount of playing time. He has a 69.5% snap share over six games, but the 26-year-old has only notched one sack. Pro Football Focus ranks him 52nd among 110 EDGE qualifiers.
As a soon-to-be free agent, Phillips would be a pure rental for a deadline buyer. He’s playing 2025 on a fifth-year option worth $13.3MM. Our Ely Allen identified Phillips as a viable trade candidate earlier this month, noting teams like the 49ers, Commanders, Chiefs, and Eagles could be among his suitors.
With the Dolphins likely to miss the playoffs for the third year in a row, general manager Chris Grier and head coach Mike McDaniel are facing uncertain futures. There’s some question as to whether they’ll even survive the season. Those two remain in place, though, and unless something drastic happens in the next three weeks, Grier will be the one steering the ship at the deadline. He’ll have to decide whether to move Chubb, Phillips, or both defenders in the coming weeks.