Schefter Expects Dolphins to Trade Bradley Chubb or Jaelan Phillips at NFL Deadline

ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter expressed his belief Tuesday that the Miami Dolphins will part with at least one key defensive player ahead of the NFL trade deadline on Nov. 4.

Speaking on the Adam Schefter Podcast (beginning at the 17:47 mark), Schefter said, "I think the Miami Dolphins will move at least one of their pass-rushers, Jaelan Phillips or Bradley Chubb."

Schefter's report comes on the heels of The Athletic's Dianna Russini reporting earlier this month that the Dolphins had received "lots of calls" on Phillips and Chubb.

Phillips, 26, is the younger and higher-upside Dolphins pass-rusher, as they selected him 18th overall in the 2021 NFL draft out of the University of Miami.

After posting 8.5 sacks as a rookie and seven sacks in his second NFL season, Phillips ran into a rash of injury issues.

In 2023, he missed nine games due to a torn Achilles, and he followed that up by missing 13 games last season with a torn ACL.

Through eight games this season, Phillips has only two sacks to go along with 21 tackles and two tackles for loss. It is fair to wonder if Phillips has lost much of the explosiveness he displayed at the start of his career due to back-to-back significant injuries.

The 29-year-old Chubb was a two-time Pro Bowler in parts of five seasons with the Denver Broncos before getting traded to Miami in 2022.

In his only full season with the Dolphins to date, Chubb recorded 11 sacks in 2023, marking the second-highest sack total of his career.

Chubb missed the entire 2024 campaign with a torn ACL, meaning the Dolphins were without their two best pass-rushers for the vast majority of last season.

Chubb has played well this season coming off the torn ACL, though, with four sacks, 22 tackles, five tackles for loss and one forced fumble in eight games.

The Dolphins have struggled to generate consistent pressure this season, ranking in a tie for 22nd place in the NFL in sacks with only 15. Chubb's four sacks lead the team.

Phillips is set to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of this season, while Chubb is signed through 2027 at a salary cap of over $31 million each of the next two years, per Spotrac.

If the Dolphins do trade a pass-rusher, whether teams want a rental like Phillips or a longer-term option like Chubb could play a major role in deciding who goes.

The Dolphins are coming off their best performance of the year, beating the Atlanta Falcons 34-10 on the road, but given that they still only have a 2-6 record, it is fair to expect them to be sellers at the deadline.