How Dolphins Firing GM Could Impact Steelers’ Trade Deadline Plans
If the Miami Dolphins trade Jaylen Waddle, the Pittsburgh Steelers are a potential match.
The Miami Dolphins might be open for business ahead of the NFL trade deadline, and that could be good news for the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Miami’s season is circling the drain after a Thursday night loss to Baltimore that opened the NFL Week 9 slate. The Dolphins are now 2-7, and the purge has begun with the team “mutually” parting ways with general manager Chris Grier.
According to PlayoffStatus.com, the Dolphins have less than a 1% chance to make the playoffs, and with the Nov. 4 NFL trade deadline days away, a sell-off might make some sense. That could and probably should include wide receiver Jaylen Waddle, who might be the Dolphins’ top trade chip.
If he’s available — and that might be more likely now than it was before Grier started cleaning out his office — the Steelers seem like the perfect team to give Miami a call.
Why Jaylen Waddle Could Soon Be Option for Steelers
According to one report, a Waddle trade was highly unlikely with Grier calling the shots. SNY’s Connor Hughes reported Grier had no intentions of shipping out the Alabama product, but that could change now.
“Something I was told regarding Jaylen Waddle, and said this on (SNY): He wasn’t getting moved as long as Chris Grier had a say,” Hughes posted to X. “He believed, because of one-possession games, (the) Dolphins could turn it around.
“With Grier now gone … ”
Of course, even if the Dolphins start shopping Waddle, it doesn’t mean the Steelers are the automatic landing spot. But there’s been no shortage of reporting connecting Pittsburgh to wideouts who could or might become available in trade.
In addition to a whole lot of Jakobi Meyers smoke, there’s a general sense that Pittsburgh would look at any number of options for a potential upgrade on the outside.
“Pittsburgh has made calls to evaluate potential upgrades at wide receiver,” The Athletic’s Mike DeFabo wrote on Oct. 30.
What It Would Take to Acquire Waddle
Among the receivers DeFabo listed as options for the Steelers was Waddle. A player like Waddle, a former first-round pick (No. 6 overall in 2020), might be at the higher end of the list. He’s having another fine season with 586 yards on 41 receptions after another stellar six-catch, 82-yard showing against Baltimore. His contract, however, might be the issue.
“He is signed through 2028 and is due more than $16.6 million in guarantees in 2026,” DeFabo wrote. “He’d bring a cap hit of $11.7 million in 2026, $33.8 million in 2027 and $37.2 million in 2028. The Steelers may need to renegotiate that deal to make the money more palatable.”
There’s also the question of draft capital and how much that might cost a team to acquire Waddle. A first-round pick seems unlikely, but the asking price from Miami likely starts with a Day 2 pick (or two) to land the talented receiver.
It’s not a perfect comparison, but the New York Jets gave up a conditional pick last year to acquire Davante Adams from the Las Vegas Raiders. The Jets sent Vegas a third-round pick that would have become a second-rounder had Adams earned All-Pro honors or the Jets reached the AFC Championship Game.
Bears Predicted to Replace Caleb Williams Before End of Season
The NFL is on the cusp of the dog days of November, and with the trade deadline just around the corner, several takes are heating up around the football-sphere.
One involving Chicago Bears quarterback and 2024 No. 1 overall pick Caleb Williams came out of left field last week and originated on “The Bill Simmons Podcast.”
“Ben Johnson will bench Caleb Williams and start Tyson Bagent,” Simmons said on the October 22 edition of the show. “Tyson Bagent will be the starter in time for Week 13/Week 14.”
Simmons’ co-hosts asked him to elaborate on why he offered that prediction.
“I think the Bears are pretty good, and I think Caleb is holding them back, and Ben Johnson is just gonna be like [bleep] it. And he loves Tyson Bagent. Like, loves him,” Simmons responded. “They’re like a playoff team, and Caleb has not been good for them.”
“I don’t know what the impetus will be, but there were a lot of bread crumbs being dropped Tyson Bagent’s way before the year about what an unbelievable teammate he is,” Simmons continued. “I think, at some point, their team is pretty good. They just need somebody to drive the car and they could go like, 11-6.”
Caleb Williams’ Presence in Chicago Primary Factor in Ben Johnson Choosing to Coach Bears
GettyQuarterback Caleb Williams of the Chicago Bears.
Simmons isn’t the only person in the NFL universe to float the notion of Bagent over Williams in Chicago at some point in the relatively near future. However, Scott Bair of Marquee Sports Network vehemently disagreed with that general take during a mailbag he authored on October 28.
“The Bears are not turning to Tyson Bagent right now. No way. Not even on the table,” Bair wrote. “They drafted Caleb Williams at No. 1 overall. He has the mobility and arm talent and skill to be an excellent quarterback in this league, and I personally wouldn’t put him and Justin Fields in the same category. Not by a long shot.”
Bair continued his argument by noting that Johnson held out for the Chicago job and turned down a potential chance to join Tom Brady with the Las Vegas Raiders precisely because Williams is on the Bears’ roster.
“Ben Johnson came to Chicago, in part, because of Williams. He is committed to Williams’ development as a player in a complex scheme it’ll take a long time to master,” Bair wrote. “While Williams hasn’t been as impactful as many would like, he’s not playing poorly.”
Caleb Williams Has Clearly Made Strides in Second NFL Season
GettyQuarterback Caleb Williams of the Chicago Bears.
Ben Solak of ESPN weighed in on the Williams debate this week in his column, agreeing with Bair that Williams hasn’t been bad, but has actually played well this season.
“By EPA per drop back, Williams is just about average for the season at 0.03. For perspective, Baker Mayfield — whom some were calling an MVP candidate through September — is at 0.05,” Solak wrote Tuesday. “[Jayden] Daniels is at 0.02, as is Jaxson Dart. Put another way: If Williams were performing
Solak acknowledged there is still a long path for Williams to tread, but there is also marked improvement in his game from his first season to the second.
“Williams has plenty to improve. He must be more accurate on layup throws, which he is obviously rushing and overthinking,” Solak continued. “His hurried releases stem from a rookie season in which he held the ball far too long and took too many bad sacks. But notice the growth from Year 1 to Year 2. He has halved his sack rate, from 10% in 2024 to below 5% this season. The more he’s able to trust his pass protection, the smoother these throws will become.”
