Dolphins Reportedly Won't Trade Jaylen Waddle, Chubb as There's 'Cautious Optimism'

The Miami Dolphins aren't prepared to wave the white flag prior to the Nov. 4 trade deadline, according to ESPN's Marcel Louis-Jacques.

Louis-Jacques reported that "there's cautious optimism inside the Dolphins' building." To that end, the Dolphins "aren't looking to offload players."

The Miami insider cited wide receiver Jaylen Waddle along with linebackers Bradley Chubb and Jaelan Phillips among the veterans who have been rumored in deals.

Earlier this month, head coach Mike McDaniels vented about what he called unfounded speculation surrounding the team.

"All (trade) rumors about Miami Dolphins players are baseless, currently," he told reporters. "And that's unfortunate. Personally, this time of year bothers me for the sake of individual players having where he's playing questioned by rumors."

Still, teams are bound to be curious when Miami has a 2-6 record and a 1 percent chance of reaching the playoffs, according to NFL Next Gen Stats.

ESPN's Adam Schefter said Tuesday on his podcast he believes the Dolphins "will move at least one of their pass-rushers" between Phillips or Chubb.

On the topic of Waddle, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN reported that "multiple league execs expect the Dolphins' no-trade stance to stand, barring a surprise."

It only takes one strong offseason for a franchise's outlook to dramatically improve. Look no further than the New England Patriots, who are first in the AFC East at 6-2 after losing 13 games in 2024.

Waddle, Chubb and Phillips are all signed for multiple years, so they could all remain key contributors when the Dolphins are closer to contending again.

Granted, one rationale for trading away a high-priced star or two now is that Miami could have a little more money to spend. By running it back for the most part in 2026, general manager Chris Grier won't have a lot of salary cap flexibility.

Whether it's prior to the trade deadline or next spring, Grier will need to execute some cost-cutting maneuvers if he wants to pursue any big outside additions.