The Dolphins' summer of discontent is now officially a summer of misery.
For the second time in a week, they presumably lost a starter for the season to a major knee injury.
Last Thursday, it was Ryan Tannehill.
This Thursday, it's Raekwon McMillan, who injured his right knee before he even played a single NFL defensive snap. An MRI Friday confirmed what the Dolphins feared the night before: McMillan's ACL is torn and needs season-ending surgery.
McMillan, the second-round pick out of Ohio State, got hurt when he collided with Deon Lacey while covering a punt in the first three minutes of Miami's preseason opener. It was McMillan's first _ and as it turned out _ only snap of the game, and his entire rookie season. It was a freak accident; McMillan got hurt when he banged knees with teammate Deon Lacey.
He left the Dolphins locker room on crutches, with his right knee immobilized by a brace.
Suddenly, a position of strength is threadbare. Koa Misi is out for the season with a major neck injury, and now this.
In the last two weeks, the Dolphins have also lost guard Ted Larsen for an extended period with a torn biceps muscle and Jay Ajayi remains out with a concussion.
And they still have an entire month before the regular season even begins.
The free-agent market for linebackers isn't great.
Options include Donald Butler and Kelvin Sheppard, who both have played for the Dolphins in the past, Rey Maualuga, Brandon Spikes and Daryl Washington. Stephen Tulloch would be a logical fit considering his ties to Matt Burke, but he might be content as a retiree.
Then there's this: while the Dolphins lost a middle linebacker, they don't necessarily need to replace McMillan with one. The flexibility of Kiko Alonso and Lawrence Timmons means that they could pick up an outside linebacker, and move one of their existing guys inside.
Take, for instance, Mychal Kendricks, who requested a trade from the Eagles in the offseason _ only to have that request denied. Kendricks wasn't happy with his role in 2016, but Philadelphia would probably demand a hefty price to deal the 26-year-old.
But the sense among those in the know is that if the Dolphins _ or any team _ offers the right value, Philadelphia would at least listen.
And with Mike Tannenbaum's long history of dealing, nothing can be ruled out. The Dolphins do have assets the Eagles might want _ a bunch of talented wide receivers. Philadelphia dealt Jordan Matthews to Buffalo Monday as part of a blockbuster series of trades around the league.
Yet some think the Dolphins will simply wait until Sept. 2. That's when more than 1,000 players will hit the waiver wire as teams make cuts ahead of the league's 53-man roster deadline.
