Dolphins Ship Minkah Fitzpatrick to the Steelers with Latest Trade

The latest Miami Dolphins trade proves that they are serious about tanking this season. The Pittsburgh Steelers received star defensive back Minkah Fitzpatrick, while the Dolphins landed another first-round pick for this year’s draft.

Dolphins Got What They Wanted

After one season with the Dolphins, Fitzpatrick decided that he did not want to be in Miami moving forward. Heading into week two, the Dolphins front office granted him permission to seek a trade. A player who is consistent on the field and capable of excelling at multiple positions is hard to come by, which is why Miami couldn’t let him go for nothing.

Every fan wanted their team to pull the trigger when it was rumored they would accept a second-round pick for the young star. Instead, Miami got exactly what they needed, the Steelers first pick in the 2020 draft. The Dolphins now have three picks in the first round and two in the second in the upcoming draft.

The reason Dolphins fans should be excited about this trade is that they could potentially have two picks in the top ten. On Sunday, Ben Roethlisberger’s season came to an end. The Steelers are already sitting at 0-2 with little hope of turning things around, even with the addition of Fitzpatrick.

Dolphins now have three first-round picks in 2020: theirs, the Texans’ and now the Steelers’ in exchange for Minkah Fitzpatrick.

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) September 17, 2019

Steelers Paid a Steep Price

The Steelers entered this season with high expectations, but after the news that Roethlisberger will miss the remainder of the season, those expectations have been put on hold.

Pittsburg mortgaged their future with this move. Adding a star in the secondary can’t save this team’s season. If the team does continue to struggle, they will not have the benefit of adding a top-ten talent through the draft.

Former Steelers safety, Ryan Clark, had some opinions on this trade.

Steelers-First-Round Pick Might Be More Valuable

With Roethlisberger’s season over, there is reason to wonder if this was the last time we will see Big Ben. He has mulled retirement in the past. If that is the case, the Steelers seem to be all in on rookie quarterback Mason Rudolph. Not having a lot of draft capital in this upcoming draft will make it hard to put complementary pieces around him to make his job easier.

Trade summary

Dolphins get:
🏈2020 1st-round pick
🏈2020 5th-round pick
🏈2021 6th-round pick

Steelers get:
🏈DB Minkah Fitzpatrick
🏈2020 4th-round pick
🏈2021 6th-round pick

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) September 17, 2019

What’s Next for the Dolphins

The Dolphins have been shedding their roster for the past weeks. Players like Kiko Alonso, Laremy Tunsil, Kenny Stills and now Fitzpatrick, have all been sent on their way. That leaves the Dolphins with a completely depleted roster.

Defensive players Reshad Jones and Xavien Howard seem to be the last remaining veteran talent on that side of the ball. Meanwhile, Kenyan Drake and DeVante Parker are doing their best to keep the offense afloat.

Even with a plethora of picks in the upcoming draft, this rebuild will likely take another season of struggling.