NFL
By: Rick O’Donnell
Well, the offseason journey that was the Jalen Ramsey trade is over for the Miami Dolphins. Just before noon on the last day of June, the announcement had been made. Jalen Ramsey and Jonnu Smith are headed to Pittsburgh with a 2027 seventh-round pick. In return, the Dolphins would receive (back) S Minkah Fitzpatrick and a 2026 fifth-round pick.
By sending Ramsey to Pitt, it puts an end to the rumor that Ramsey wanted to be back on the West Coast and that he was heading to either of the two LA teams. While we may never know the real reason the two couldn’t come to an understanding moving forward, we do know the Dolphins may have moved on from Jonnu Smith because of contract negotiations. Smith wanted a new deal one year after having his best season. It appears Miami said thanks, but no thanks.
Here’s the problem, though. The Dolphins just traded away their proven CB in Ramsey with no dominant player to replace him. They just traded away their franchise leader in catches and receiving yards for a TE in Smith. What did they get in return? Their 2018 first-round pick, Minkah Fitzpatrick. At least this time around, there will be no Ryan Fitzpatrick to shade his “Fitz-magic”.
At face value, the trade doesn’t look so hot from the Miami Dolphins’ perspective. After all, the Dolphins needed to trade Jalen Ramsey because he (supposedly) no longer wanted to be a Miami Dolphin. They got back a player whom they traded a few seasons ago, who no longer wanted to be a Miami Dolphin. To top it off, they traded away Jonnu Smith, who took the pressure off of Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle, and are now left with no proven TE.
We have agreed to acquire CB Jalen Ramsey, TE Jonnu Smith, and a 2027 seventh-round pick from the Miami Dolphins in exchange for S Minkah Fitzpatrick and a 2027 fifth-round pick, pending physicals. @BordasLaw
?: https://t.co/jn5f4MgSju pic.twitter.com/n1cmITftFg
— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) June 30, 2025
So why make this trade? Simple. Fitzpatrick didn’t want to play for the Dolphins anymore (allegedly) because they were asking him to play multiple positions, and he felt it was hurting his development. That regime is gone, and now he’s a top pass defender as well as a top run stopper. They instantly improve their safety position even after adding Ashtyn Davis and Ifeatu Melifonwu to the position this offseason.
Fitzpatrick brings $15 million over in cap spending, but the Dolphins send out $25 million+ with Ramsey and Smith. The plus side is freeing up ~$10 million, but the negative is being too late to resign a leader in Calais Campbell. There are a few names, such as Bradley Chubb or Jaelen Phillips, who will need new deals, but Miami doesn’t need to rush to get these deals done.
So the real question is, how do they replace productivity with their newly-found cap space? TE is one of their weakest positions, and protection along the line is key. They can’t just go out and get a pass catcher; they need someone to protect Tua Tagovailoa. On the flip side, unless the younger guys step up, CB is a desperate need for Miami in a very thin market.
They may have shed two in-house disputes and shored up the safety position. However, as far as productivity goes, the Miami Dolphins lost this trade.
