Breaking Down the McMillan Trade

The Miami Dolphins have traded linebacker Raekwon McMillan to the Las Vegas Raiders

Linebacker Raekwon McMillan is ready to enter his fourth NFL season, but it will not be with the Miami Dolphins.

The Dolphins traded the 2017 second-round pick from Ohio State to the Las Vegas Raiders, a league source confirmed. ESPN reporter Adam Schefter reported the trade had the Raiders giving Miami a 2021 fourth-round pick to McMillan and a 2021 fifth-round selection.

Compensation update: Raiders are trading a 2021 fourth-round pick to Miami for Dolphins’ linebacker Raekwon McMillan and a 2021 fifth-round pick, per source. Good value for Raiders, but McMillan is in the last year of his deal. https://t.co/kkWF5UHccR

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 29, 2020

It's an awfully small return for a fourth-year second-round pick, but it was clear that McMillan didn't fit into the Dolphins' plans anymore. McMillan simply isn't a great fit for the Dolphins' defensive scheme because of his deficiencies in pass defense.

Head coach Brian Flores spoke highly of McMillan after the Dolphins scrimmage at Hard Rock Stadium on Saturday.

“Obviously Raekwon is someone I have a lot of respect for," Flores said. "He’s a talented player. People are going to say what they want to say. He’s somebody I respect a lot. He’s a good football player. I think he’s going to have a long career, but there’s a lot of depth in that room. There’s, again, like a lot of decisions we make as an organization, there’s a lot of things that go into it that you’re not going to know about, and we’re not going to tell you. But in every decision we make, it’s in the best interests of the Miami Dolphins. I have a lot of respect for him. I wish him all the best. He’s a good kid.”

McMillan actually had a very solid 2019 season after he spent a lot of 2018 working his way back from the knee injury that cost him his rookie season, as he finished with 72 tackles, three tackles for loss and one pass defensed.

But advanced stats had opposing quarterbacks compile a passer rating of 100.8 against him, which obviously is not ideal. And that still was better than his 2018 figure of 146.2.

Anyone who has watched the Dolphins doesn't need advanced stats to understand that McMillan isn't great in coverage.

The Dolphins also have a lot more depth at linebacker this year with the offseason additions of Elandon Roberts, who has looked great, Kyle Van Noy and Kamu Grugier-Hill.

McMillan is heading into the final year of his rookie contract and is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent next offseason, so the Dolphins probably want to see if they can get something for him.

The move is another hit for the Dolphins' 2017 draft class, which doesn't any of the top three picks remaining with the team.

First-round pick Charles Harris was traded in the offseason to the Atlanta Falcons for a seventh-round pick, and third-round pick Cordrea Tankersley was waived in early August after being activated from the Reserve/COVID-19 list.

In all, only two of the seven members of the 2017 draft class are still with the Dolphins: fifth-round pick Davon Godchaux and seventh-round selection Isaiah Ford.