NEW ORLEANS _ Should Laremy Tunsil be included in a trade for Jadeveon Clowney?
Absolutely not, according to Dolphins players who "would revolt" if the Dolphins ship out one of their best and most-liked players on the eve of the regular season, a well-placed source tells the Miami Herald.
The Tunsil-to-Houston rumor is one that won't go away, even though the team told his camp recently that the Dolphins are not actively shopping him.
However, if another team blew them away with an offer _ like Clowney and premium draft picks _ the Dolphins would have to consider it.
Dolphins coach Brian Flores has up until this point done a good job of keeping the locker room together despite an offseason roster purge, a quarterback competition and low expectations for the upcoming season.
But trading Tunsil _ whose rights they control for at least the next two seasons _ might be a bridge too far for a locker room that wants to compete and also wants the Dolphins to financially take care of their own.
"The backlash would be amazing," the source said. "Guys would legit revolt."
The Texans have been persistent in their pursuit of Tunsil, who is entering his fourth NFL season, but for now the Dolphins have held them off. Instead, the team would prefer to do a player-for-player (or players) swap.
For Tunsil to be included in any deal, the Dolphins would have to be blown away by the draft compensation, which they could use in a trade package to land the best possible quarterback in next year's draft. The Dolphins are projected to have 12 picks in 2020, and potentially a top-five selection.
Trading Tunsil would almost certainly increase the likelihood that they will draft high in the first round, since the offensive line struggled greatly in games he's sat out this preseason.
No trade can happen before Clowney signs his one-year, $16 million franchise tag tender. Not doing so is the only leverage he has in this situation, and so he could theoretically veto any deal by refusing to sign. The Dolphins tried to allay any doubts Clowney had about joining the Dolphins during a meeting with coach Brian Flores and others last week.
