Minkah Fitzpatrick's Dolphins fate now feels painfully obvious after latest rumor
The question of the week is whether or not the Miami Dolphins will be sellers at the trade deadline. With the departure of Chris Grier, who was reluctant to make any moves, there is a
Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated has been dialed in to the NFL trade picture for a month now. He isn't hearing anything concrete yet, but it's worth keeping an eye on.
Breer reports that the Dolphins have been telling teams Jaylen Waddle is not available in a trade, which will make Dolphins fans very happy. He isn't convinced, however, that Minkah Fitzpatrick won't be on the block.
"Teams asking about Jaylen Waddle have been flatly told no. But Miami may be more receptive on Minkah Fitzpatrick. There are also fair questions floating around on whether there are guardrails on the current regime, based on the tenor of conversations,"
Dolphins could already trade away Minkah Fitzpatrick, only months after bringing him back
The Dolphins brought Fitzpatrick back as part of the Jalen Ramsey trade. His return to Miami may not last long.
There was a lot of speculation that Grier's hesitation to trade was due to the Dolphins being close in games, and there was a hope they could turn around the season. That went out the window when Miami lost to the Baltimore Ravens on
Stephen Ross' early departure from the game was a clear sign that something was going to happen internally. If the Dolphins are now heading toward a rebuild, moving Fitzpatrick would make sense.
It's also unclear whether Miami will move on from other key veterans, like pass-rushers Jaelan Phillips and Bradley Chubb. For now, it seems like Waddle is unlikely to move elsewhere.
The Dolphins could have a busy few days with the chance to acquire more draft capital. As the trade deadline approaches on Tuesday, it seems as though the Dolphins may have options to move players. The question is whether they will take advantage of it. Fitzpatrick is now a player to watch.
Falcons’ third straight loss somehow managed to break fans’ hearts all over again
This was a game the Atlanta Falcons should've won. It's the type of game that left the worst possible taste in fans' mouths, and it's not hard to see why. They had a golden opportunity to tie the game at 24 with under five minutes to play, but instead, the Falcons pulled a Falcons.
After a Drake London touchdown reception, Parker Romo missed the ensuing extra point, only amplifying to the kicker woes. Moreover, just a few minutes later, Michael Penix Jr. derailed a potential game-winning drive with a costly intentional grounding call that resulted in a punt rather than points.
Afterward, the defense failed to stop Drake Maye from putting the game on ice, as a third consecutive loss dropped the Dirty Birds to 3-5. After last weekend's disaster against the Dolphins, Atlanta responded admirably against the surging New England Patriots, but it's clear that it wasn't enough.
Falcons missed way too many opportunities to upset the Patriots in Foxborough
In his return to the lineup, Penix completed 22-of-37 passes for 221 yards and a season-high three passing touchdowns—all of which went to London. After Kirk Cousins looked like a fossil in his stead in Week 8, the second-year quarterback put all rumblings of a quarterback controversy to rest.
However, that doesn't mean there weren't growing pains. For the second time in three games, a grounding call prevented Atlanta from adding points in a crucial moment. While it held less bearing against the 49ers in Week 7, it made the difference between 4-4 and 3-5 this afternoon.
While Bijan Robinson failed to surpass 100 scrimmage yards for the third consecutive game, London was the star of the show for Zac Robinson's offense.
The 24-year-old caught nine passes for 118 yards and three scores, while his basketball background paid off in matchups with Marcus Jones and Christian Gonzalez. London may have missed Week 8, but he's making his case for a long-term extension clear for Terry Fontenot.
Not only did the offense looked improved, the defense fared pretty well against a red-hot Drake Maye. Maye was sacked six times and turned the ball over twice, but the second-year gunslinger was the first quarterback to surpass 250 passing yards against Jeff Ulbrich's defense this season.
Luckily, Ulbrich's unit kept New England's run game in check with Rhamondre Stevenson sidelined, but it didn't matter. Almost everything went right, but they still managed to fall on the road. It's even more deflating knowing an overseas trip to Berlin against the Colts is on the docket in Week 10.
And if Raheem Morris doesn't right the ship and rid the Falcons of these minor mistakes, he might be out of a job soon.
