The biggest blockbuster of day was the Dolphins trading their 2023 first-round pick, a 2024 fourth-round pick and running back Chase Edmonds to the Broncos for Bradley Chubb and a 2025 fifth-round pick
It brings the 49ers-Dolphins Trey Lance blockbuster to a close as Miami used the three first-round picks from that deal, to trade up for Jaylen Waddle, trade for Tyreek Hill and now acquire Chubb.
In Dolphins trade back with 49ers: 2021 Trey Lance deal, they used SF 21 pick to trade up for Jaylen Waddle, 2022 SF 1st rounder (main piece in Tyreek Hill trade) & 2023 SF 1st rounder (main piece in Bradley Chubb deal).
Lesser picks involved but what a haul: Waddle, Hill, Chubb
— Cameron Wolfe (@CameronWolfe) November 1, 2022
While Hill and Waddle have made Miami's offense one of the most dangerous in the league, the Chubb deal fills the biggest remaining hole on the team. The Dolphins needed a pass rusher to boost a defense ranking 22nd in EPA per game this year after ranking fifth last year.
They are getting one of the most effective edge rushers in the league right now. Chubb ranks third in the NFL in pass-rush win rate, beating his blocks on 27% of pass plays. The only players who win more consistently are Micah Parsons and Myles Garrett, two favorites for Defensive Player of the Year.
Micah Parsons
32%
Myles Garrett
30%
Bradley Chubb
27%
Per: ESPN Analytics/NFL Next Gen Stats
Paired with 2021 first-round pick Jaelan Phillips, Miam could suddenly have one of the best pass-rushing duos in the NFL. Phillips ranks 10th in pass-rush win rate among edge rushers this season. The only other team with two players in the top 10 is the Eagles (Josh Sweat, Haason Reddick).
With Miami's new duo, and depth from Melvin Ingram, the Dolphins could have the luxury of getting pressure with a standard pass rush and getting away from a blitz-heavy approach that hasn't worked with a leaky secondary.
This move was foreshadowed by ESPN's Dan Orlovsky earlier today:
If the Dolphins think they’re legit (which I do) they need to be less dependent on “all out pressure blitz wise” and get better/better people to help with a 4 or 5 man rush
— Dan Orlovsky (@danorlovsky7) November 1, 2022
They weren't getting home despite playing one of the most aggressive styles in the league. They have the third-highest blitz rate in the NFL but they get actual pressure at just the 21st-highest rate, after leading the NFL in that category last year. Their signature blitz has been abysmal, ranking bottom five in the league in nearly every category.
2021
2022
Yards/att
7.1
9.6
TD-INT
8-4
9-1
Passer rating
83.2
122.9
In the past, they'd been able to rely on blitzing because they could leave Pro Bowl cornerbacks Byron Jones and Xavien Howard on islands, but that hasn't been the case in 2022. Jones hasn't played this year while recovering from ankle/Achilles surgery, and Howard has given up the second-most touchdowns in the NFL (5).
2021
2022
Comp pct
56%
68%
TD-INT
7-5
5-0
Passer rating
64.0
110.4
In the playoffs you need a closer on offense and defense. Miami's offense,
