Top Dolphins Trade Targets Entering 2023 Offseason

The Miami Dolphins need to get creative with how they operate this offseason.

The Dolphins sit $12.8 million over the salary cap, per Spotrac, and some cuts may be in their future to alleviate some of the stress of getting back to the cap.

Miami still needs to find ways to improve its roster while trimming down some salary, and it could look to make some shrewd moves on the trade market.

Big splashes, like last offseason's deal for Tyreek Hill, are most likely off the table, but a few depth acquisitions would be welcome on offense.

Defensively, the Dolphins need to figure out if they are cutting Byron Jones or not first, but if they do, they could look at veteran cornerbacks on teams that are in a significantly worse salary cap shape than they are.

Marcus Mariota

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ATLANTA, GEORGIA - DECEMBER 04: Marcus Mariota #1 of the Atlanta Falcons looks on prior to a game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on December 04, 2022 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images)

Marcus Mariota's time in Atlanta should be coming to an end.

The veteran quarterback left the team once Desmond Ridder was named the starter near the end of the 2022 season, and the Cincinnati product should be the franchise quarterback moving forward.

Atlanta can either cut Mariota, or look to gain a late-round draft pick on the trade market for him.

The Dolphins would be wise to at least inquire about Mariota with the Falcons before he hits the open market.

Tua Tagovailoa's injury history, which included two spells out this season due to concussion, should concern the Dolphins enough to think they need a strong backup to keep their place in the standings. They tried to do that with Teddy Bridgewater, but unfortunately, he dislocated his finger just when the Dolphins needed him the most.

Mariota will bring recent starting experience to any team he joins in 2023, and he could be exactly what the Dolphins are looking for in a backup.

Miami can't afford to have another season in which its Super Bowl hopes go down the drain because of one absentee. Mariota is not Tagovailoa when the Miami starter is at his best, but he would at least be a reliable backup that a handful of other teams would love to have.

If Miami could ship a fifth-or-sixth-round pick to Atlanta before Mariota hits the open market, it could do wonders for its postseason hopes if it encounters another Tagovailoa injury situation.

Denzel Mims

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FOXBOROUGH, MA - NOVEMBER 20: New York Jets wide receiver Denzel Mims (11) makes a catch in warm up before a game between the New England Patriots and the New York Jets on November 20, 2022, at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Fred Kfoury III/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Miami needs to figure out its depth behind Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle.

The Dolphins would probably prefer that they use an inexpensive option to figure out that problem, and that is where Denzel Mims makes sense as a trade target.

Mims has not worked out with the New York Jets and he has been surpassed by Garrett Wilson, Elijah Moore and other players on the wide receiver depth chart.

The Baylor product has 42 catches for 676 receiving yards in his three-year career. A majority of that production occurred in 2020, his rookie season.

Mims is scheduled to make just $1.4 million in 2023 and he could be dealt for next to nothing because of his status with the Jets.

The Dolphins have Cedrick Wilson and Erik Ezukanma behind Hill and Waddle at the moment. Mike Gesicki will not be there for next season as it stands, with Miami losing the tight end in free agency.

Wilson only had 136 receiving yards in 2022 and Ezukanma only played one game in his rookie season. Trent Sherfield picked up most of the production behind Hill and Waddle. He is a free agent.

Mims is the ultimate low-risk, high-reward type player, but that could work for Miami with its salary constraints and the need to spend money at other positions of need.

Carlton Davis

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TAMPA, FLORIDA - DECEMBER 18: Carlton Davis III #24 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers celebrates after an interception during the first quarter in the game against the Cincinnati Bengals at Raymond James Stadium on December 18, 2022 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images)

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are in a much worse salary cap situation than the Dolphins.

Tampa Bay is $55.7 million over the cap at the moment. The Bucs can manage that situation a bit better because Tom Brady's retiring contract can be spread over two years.

The Bucs will still be in a tough spot and could look to trade some of their more expensive veteran players with a rebuild potentially in the future.

Carlton Davis has been one of the most consistent cornerbacks in the NFL, and he could be a replacement for Byron Jones.

Jones is a prime candidate to be cut by the Dolphins after he missed all of the 2022 season with an ankle injury.

Davis has over 10 passes defended in each of the last four seasons, and he produced an opponent catch rate under 60 percent in three of the previous four years.

The 26-year-old would be an expensive addition, as he is scheduled to make $14.5 million in 2023, but he could make a huge difference for the Dolphins as they chase glory in the loaded AFC.

Miami would likely have to give up an early-round pick and maybe one other draft selection to sway the Bucs in favor of making the potential trade, but it would make sense from all angles.

The Dolphins could land a lock-down cornerback and the Bucs would shed some salary and keep Davis away from their NFC competitors.