Dolphins Weigh Trade Offers for Brooks and Sieler

The NFL trade deadline is one week away, and two Miami Dolphins captains, linebacker Jordyn Brooks and defensive lineman Zach Sieler, remain among the players discussed as possible trade candidates. Brooks is ranked 20th and Sieler 35th on an updated list of 50 potential targets. A proposal has also surfaced for the Detroit Lions to inquire about Brooks after linebacker Jack Campbell suffered a neck injury over the weekend and was hospitalized; no specific update on Campbell’s condition was given in the account.

Miami’s central question is whether any draft pick return would outweigh keeping established players as the team rebuilds and looks toward taking another step beyond 2027. General manager Jon-Eric Sullivan has said he should take calls about any player, but the price for cornerstone players such as Brooks and Sieler should be high. Trading either would create a dead-cap hit, though the Dolphins are projected to have more than $100 million in cap space in 2027.

A Brooks trade could also carry a message: he recently signed an extension and had been viewed as a pillar of the rebuilding project. The same consideration applies to center Aaron Brewer, whose name has not surfaced in trade speculation. Running back De’Von Achane is also not expected to be available after tearing his ACL in the home opener against Kansas City in Week 3.

Right tackle Austin Jackson may be a more plausible trade candidate. He is in the final year of his contract, could seek more money in 2027 than Miami is prepared to offer, and may want a change after taking a pay cut this year. The Dolphins are not expected to give him away, although his potential trade value remains uncertain.

The team’s 2019 rebuilding season offers a comparison: Miami traded running back Kenyan Drake to Arizona for a fifth-round pick, later sent to San Francisco for Matt Breida. It also took on injured cornerback Aqib Talib and received a fifth-round pick from the Rams in exchange for a seventh-rounder. The account expects this year’s deadline activity could resemble 2019, without a similar salary-cap-driven deal.