The Miami Dolphins are in a full rebuild, and now two of their "foundational" players have been listed as trade candidates.
Miami Dolphins general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan has an important job, which is to correct the overspending the organization has gotten itself into and the blowback of that spending.
Sullivan got to work immediately to get the Dolphins out of their 2026 cap hell, releasing four players, which included wide receiver Tyreek Hill. Though everything appears to be on the table, would the Dolphins consider trading running back De'Von Achane and wide receiver Jaylen Waddle?
Waddle and Achane have emerged on ESPN as the second and third likely trade candidates this offseason, though the list should be taken with a grain of salt. emerged on ESPN as the second and third likely trade candidates
The Dolphins would likely have to be offered a large amount of draft capital to move either or both, and Dan Graziano indicated as much.
In terms of Achane, Graziano said:
"The league seems to believe the Dolphins are in a full rebuild, which means they're getting calls on all of their star players. My sense is that they're far more likely to extend Achane's contract than to listen to those trade offers, but in their situation, you answer the phone when it rings. So, call any Achane trade a significant long shot that would take an awfully enticing package to get done."
Graziano also gave the likelihood of Achane being moved at 10 percent. The same percentage was given to Waddle.
"But as I said on Achane above, my sense is that the Dolphins see Waddle as a building block who's under contract and aren't eager to move on from him. They'll get calls, no doubt, but it would take a lot for them to deal him."
Sullivan indicated that the team is in a rebuild, and their goal is to ensure the Dolphins have success for years, which is accomplished by building through the draft.
Sullivan spoke on Achane and Waddle at the NFL Combine on Tuesday.
"[ Achane is] a marvelous player. We want him to be part of this thing moving forward," Sullivan said. "We're kind of focused on what's at hand, which is free agency, and then the draft. We will have those [extension] conversations with him as well as some other guys as we move down the road, but that's going to be later in the summer."
“Jaylen is a very good football player," Sullivan said. "My vision is for Jaylen to be part of this. ... We are not actively trying to move Jaylen Waddle.”
Despite what Sullivan may have been hinting at, it is highly unlikely that the Dolphins will move on from either player. Achane was the subject of trade rumors last November ahead of the trade deadline, but nothing materialized beyond reports.
It was indicated that the Dolphins would only have accepted a first-round pick and more for Waddle, and it was likely the same for Achane.
While anything can happen in the business of the NFL, the Dolphins are not in the immediacy of a full fire sale. That is not to say that a team wouldn't offer a package that Sullivan and the front office could not turn away from, such as the Texans presenting Miami with two first-round picks for Laremy Tunsil, but this is a different situation.
The Dolphins are smartly rebuilding the roster, and 2026 might be a rough year due to cap constraints. However, both Achane and Waddle are still very young in their playing careers and will be the building blocks needed for a much more competitive 2027 and beyond.
Despite being named as top trade candidates, bidding teams would likely have to offer first-round picks for both players, which Sullivan might have to heavily consider. But for now, there is nothing like that on the table, at least from what has been reported.