All Dolphins

The One Dolphins Trade That Almost Was

The Miami Dolphins didn't make a trade deadline deal but had several conversations.

Alain Poupart

Miami Dolphins defensive tackle Calais Campbell (93) enters the field before the game against the Arizona Cardinals at Hard Rock Stadium.
Miami Dolphins defensive tackle Calais Campbell (93) enters the field before the game against the Arizona Cardinals at Hard Rock Stadium. / Sam Navarro-Imagn Images
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After the Miami Dolphins stood pat at the NFL trade deadline, head coach Mike McDaniel explained he had discussed potential deals with GM Chris Grier for players who would be traded or acquired.

Defensive lineman Calais Campbell was clearly one of those players discussed in a possible trade away from the Dolphins, and according to SI NFL reporter Albert Breer, he apparently came close to being dealt to one of his former teams.

That team was the Baltimore Ravens, for whom Campbell from 2020-22 before he spent last season with the Atlanta Falcons.

"They almost brought Calais Campbell back," Breer said on Amazon Prime before the Thursday night game between the Ravens and Cincinnati Bengals. "That deal fell through at the last minute."

What the Ravens were offering the Dolphins, who were in a sticky spot with Campbell, needs to be clarified.

On the one hand, Campbell has been perhaps their best player through the first eight games of 2024, this after he decided to sign with the team and continue his career at the age of 38 for a chance to chase that elusive Super Bowl title.

That Campbell is doing so in the city where he played his college football — a UM alum — was a bonus, but the championship was the thing for him, and the Ravens clearly would offer a better chance of doing this now.

But the Dolphins' reluctance to deal with him makes sense when we consider the organization's tone after its good performance against the Buffalo Bills last Sunday—yes, even in a loss.

Trading Campbell, even to give him a solid if this indeed will be his last NFL season, would have been a classy thing to do, but it also would have signaled the team was giving up on the 2024 season. And they're not about to do that with nine games left.

Ultimately, the Dolphins decided against moving with Campbell because having him in the lineup clearly gave them a better chance to win.

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Alain Poupart
ALAIN POUPART

Alain Poupart is the publisher/editor of All Dolphins and co-host of the All Dolphins Podcast. Alain has covered the Miami Dolphins on a full-time basis since 1989 for various publications and media outlets, including Dolphin Digest, The Associated Press, the Dolphins team website, and the Fan Nation Network (part of Sports Illustrated). In addition to being a credentialed member of the Miami Dolphins press corps, Alain has covered three Super Bowls (for NFL.com, Football News and the Montreal Gazette), the annual NFL draft, the Senior Bowl, and the NFL Scouting Combine. During his almost 40 years in journalism, which began at the now-defunct Miami News, Alain has covered practically every sport at one time or another, from tennis to golf, baseball, basketball and everything in between. The career also included time as a copy editor, including work on several books such as "Still Perfect," an inside look at the Miami Dolphins' 1972 perfect season. A native of Montreal, Canada, whose first language is French, Alain grew up a huge hockey fan but soon developed a love for all sports, including NFL football. He has lived in South Florida since the 1980s.

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