Miami Dolphins: Why Brandon Marshall Trade Puts Team in a Hole for 2012

The Miami Dolphins dealing Brandon Marshall has turned the franchise's immediate future upside down. Once thought to be a quarterback away from AFC contention, today the Dolphins couldn't be more trapped in the division cellar.

Six days since the trade, NFL Free Agency has become Miami's March Madness.

The Dolphins seem more frazzled than the Missouri Tigers.

Matt Moore is the only quarterback on the roster in permanent ink. In addition, no new receivers have been brought in to fill the void from the Marshall trade.

The word "rebuilding" might be taboo in the locker room, but Miami’s recent inactivity indicates an offensive overhaul.

So far, the Marshall trade itself has created more issues than it fixed. They got less value for Marshall than what they traded him for two years ago (they got two third-round picks last week, downgrading from two second-rounders they traded him for). This year's mid-third round selection they received from Chicago will come long after viable replacements Alshon Jeffrey or Michael Floyd are available.

They will have to use an earlier selection to draft a comparable wideout. Talk about bad value.

To make matters worse, Jeff Ireland’s offensive selections in the draft have not exactly watered the palate. Brian Hartline, Daniel Thomas and Clyde Gates are known more for their untapped potential than actual production.

In addition, the Dolphins have been anything but free agency players this offseason. They addressed holes on defense, but the offense side of the ball has gotten less attention than a stray cat.

So much for improving team speed on offense. So much for having skill players that threaten NFL defenses.

The quarterback conundrum, in particular, has become more startling by the day. First was Peyton Manning, who Miami was rumored to be the front-runner by multiple news sources. Dolphins fans waited for the big splash, but ultimately discovered that talk is cheap. Miami did not even make Manning’s final three.

After the Manning debacle, the Dolphin front office could only scramble for Plans B and C. They brought in Matt Flynn and managed to low-ball the Green Bay backup out of town. Then they hosted Alex Smith in South Florida after he couldn't close a deal with his 49ers.

From Peyton Manning to… Alex Smith? You can smell the Dolphins’ desperation from your computer screen.

Trying to figure out Ireland’s thought process from here on out will be only shooting blanks.

If Manning were leaning towards Miami and had concerns about playing with Marshall, the deal seems sensible. But how can he trying to recruit Flynn and Alex Smith with no No. 1 target to flaunt at them? Especially when it is obvious that those quarterbacks were not Ireland’s first choice?

No young quarterback would want to touch this Dolphins offense with a 10-foot pole. All the while, the Dolphins organization continues to ignore logic recruiting for their offense.

As I wrote in the previous paragraph, Flynn signed with the Seattle Seahawks. Go figure.

The Marshall trade was thought to rid the Dolphins of their problem child, but it has only added more question marks for this middling franchise.

They tried to reload. Now, they are forced to rebuild.

What's next?

Your guess is as good as mine.