Few teams in the NFL know drama quite like the Miami Dolphins. And while the fresh start that came with a regime change at the beginning of this year kept things mellow in South Florida to start the summer, things are heating up. The Dolphins have been connected with Houston Texans defensive end Jadeveon Clowney for the past several days — so much so that they are reported to be the favorites to trade for his services.
But at what cost?
The Texans’ clear intent is to target Miami’s budding star left tackle, Laremy Tunsil. And the longer the trade negotiations go, the more it stands to question on if the Dolphins are listening to those requests.
Unless the Texans were to blow the Dolphins out of the water, it would be a stunning move. Trading a blindside protector for a defensive end on the franchise tag is hardly a forward step. Instead, it would be a lateral move at best. But only if the Texans included draft picks to come to Miami along with Clowney. But the fanbase wouldn’t be the only ones steaming over such a decision.
The Miami Herald is reporting that the Dolphins’ locker room would “revolt” in response to a trade of Tunsil, who is easily the team’s best offensive player. It helps that the Dolphins recently told Tunsil and his camp that he wasn’t up for grabs — but if they change their mind, they’ll have egg on their face and plenty of upset players to deal with.
“The backlash would be amazing,” the source told the Miami Herald, as reported by Adam Beasley. “Guys would legit revolt.”
Understandably so. The messaging by the Dolphins this offseason has been one that homegrown talent is coveted, developed and then taken care of with a second deal. The Dolphins acted in this way with Xavien Howard and again followed suit with Jakeem Grant. Tunsil is widely considered the next in line — and with such dire need of better offensive line play, the Dolphins would be cutting their nose off to spite their face in targeting an elite player.
The Dolphins are right to pursue Clowney — but not at the expense of Tunsil. Even the locker room can see that.
