Could the Dolphins Make a Move for Wilson?

The Miami Dolphins could be looking for an upgrade at the backup quarterback position

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson (3) stretches for warm ups before the game against the Indianapolis Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium. / Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images

The Miami Dolphins already have used three backup quarterbacks so far in the 2024 regular season, but none has performed at a high level so far.

It's why they could make a move for a veteran at the trade deadline to protect themselves for the possibility of Tua Tagovailoa having to miss more time after his expected return. And that veteran quarterback should be Russell Wilson, according to former NFL GM Jeff Diamond, now a contributor to The 33rd Team.

In a column for the website where Diamond is making bold predictions for the NFL trade deadline, this year scheduled for Nov. 5, the former Minnesota Vikings executive had the Dolphins trading a late-round draft pick to the Pittsburgh Steelers for Wilson.

"Miami is 2-3 after entering the season, expecting to wrestle the AFC East title from Buffalo, which lost several starters in free agency," Diamond wrote. "The Dolphins don’t want their hopes to ride on the return of Tua Tagovailoa from his most recent concussion. Tagovailoa is seeing 'top experts' to diagnose his susceptibility to concussions, which doesn’t sound promising, although he is reportedly expected to return to the team in a couple of weeks. 

"The Steelers are at the Raiders this week and then home against the Jets and Giants before the trade deadline. Fields should be able to get two or three wins from this stretch, which would make the Steelers comfortable with trading Wilson and having seven-year vet Kyle Allen as the No. 2 quarterback, which has been his role with Wilson sidelined.

"If the Steelers can get a later-round draft pick for a player they invested so little in, I think they’ll jump on it. Miami is the most likely destination, considering Tagovailoa’s tenuous situation, and Wilson is a clear upgrade over Tyler Huntley or Skylar Thompson."

 WHY A WILSON TRADE WOULD MAKE SENSE FOR MIAMI

As Diamond pointed out, there are practically no financial ramifications involved in any trade with Wilson because the Denver Broncos are paying him $38 million this season and his contract with the Steelers is for only $1.2 million guaranteed.

Wilson has yet to play for the Steelers so far this season because he sustained a calf injury in training camp and former Chicago Bears first-round pick Justin Fields, acquired in the offseason in a trade for a late-round pick, performed well enough as the starter that Pittsburgh began the season 3-0.

A nine-time Pro Bowl selection with the Seattle Seahawks, Wilson had a rough first season in Denver but came back last year to post a very respectable 98.0 passer rating.

While it's fair to wonder exactly how effective Wilson could be in the Dolphins offense, it's also pretty obvious he would represent a clear upgrade over Huntley or Thompson as the backup to Tagovailoa.

It's also not like the Dolphins have been afraid to make trades at the deadline, the latest example coming in 2022 when they acquired edge defender Bradley Chubb from the Broncos.

Given the importance of the position Wilson plays and the low cost, this one might make even more sense.