NFL Trade Deadline Fallout for Dolphins

The Miami Dolphins didn't make a move but still got some potential help down the road.

Cleveland Browns defensive end Za'Darius Smith (99) celebrates after sacking Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson (8) during the second half of an NFL football game at Huntington Bank Field, / Jeff Lange / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Miami Dolphins, as had become expected, ended up doing absolutely nothing at the NFL trade deadline.

But they still wound up getting some help in a roundabout way.

A few trades were made around the league Tuesday, and many involved players were traded from teams the Dolphins will face later in the 2024 season for draft picks, meaning those teams will be missing a contributor.

Obviously, not all moves are the same.

The most significant move involving a future Dolphins opponent was the one that sent edge defender Za'Darius Smith from the Cleveland Browns to the Detroit Lions. So, when they face the Browns in Week 17, the Dolphins will still have to deal with pass rusher extraordinaire Myles Garrett, but not Garrett and Smith.

The Pittsburgh Steelers acquired two players in separate deals Tuesday, both 2024 Dolphins opponents. In one trade, they acquired edge defender Preston Smith from the Green Bay Packers; in the other, they acquired receiver Mike Williams from the New York Jets.

Smith wasn't having a great season with the Packers, with 2.5 sacks in the first nine games, but he had at least eight sacks each of the past three seasons.

Williams was a dud for the Jets after they signed him as a free agent in the offseason, and he became expendable after New York acquired Davante Adams from the Las Vegas Raiders. So, the Dolphins' pass defense still should have its hands full in the two meetings against the Jets.

The Houston Texans, whom the Dolphins will face in Week 13, sent DT Khalil Davis to the 49ers, whom the Dolphins will face next week. So, one opponent added a player, and the other lost one.

Lastly, the Dolphins' next opponents, the Los Angeles Rams, got rid of longtime Buffalo Bills cornerback Tre'Davious White, sending him to the Baltimore Ravens in a trade that involved a swap of late-round picks in 2026. That compensation tells you that White is no longer the player he was in Buffalo and was inactive for the Rams' past four games after starting the first four.

For the Dolphins, this marked the first time since 2018 that they had not made a trade during the regular season.