Dolphins GM: Jaylen Waddle Won't Be Traded, Jonathan Taylor Talks Were Exploratory

The Miami Dolphins aren't going to trade wide receiver Jaylen Waddle for anyone, at least according to general manager Chris Grier.

"Jaylen Waddle would not be available no matter who they are calling for," he told reporters Wednesday. Grier also said the Dolphins and Indianapolis Colts' discussions regarding a trade for running back Jonathan Taylor never went past the "exploratory" phase.

That the Dolphins would be one of the interested teams in Taylor makes sense.

After all, they have arguably the best one-two wide receiver punch in the league in Tyreek Hill and Waddle, which prevents opposing defenses from stacking the box. Raheem Mostert and Jeff Wilson Jr. can take advantage of that, but neither of them have the ceiling that Taylor would bring to the running back position.

Yet Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald reported the "Colts made wild requests from Miami, including Waddle and more" during those trade discussions.

Moving Waddle would remove that advantage that pairing the Alabama product with Hill brings, and Grier did not sound interested in doing that.

Indianapolis ultimately held on to Taylor by the team's self-imposed cutoff of Tuesday at 4 p.m. ET, which coincided with the roster cutdown deadline. The running back will miss at least the first four games of the season because he is on the physically unable to perform list.

As for Waddle, he will look to continue the excellent start to his career.

He surpassed 1,000 yards in each of his first two seasons, including in 2022 when he posted 75 catches for 1,356 yards and eight touchdowns. He also led the NFL with 18.1 yards per reception.

Waddle is just 24 years old and already looks well on his way to becoming an elite receiver for many seasons to come. Miami wanted to make sure he does so on the Dolphins and was not interested in trading him even for Taylor.