Dolphins trade idea sends two picks to Bears for $50 million receiver for Malik Willis originally appeared on The Sporting News.
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The Miami Dolphins are a clear rebuilding team, and in gutting the roster to begin this rebuild, the receiving options for new quarterback Malik Willis are bleak.
De’Von Achane is great out of the backfield, but the wide receiver depth chart is rough, and there are plenty of question marks at the tight end position. Overall, the Dolphins could use a bit of help for Willis.
With such a clear need, ESPN’s Seth Walder proposed a trade idea that would have the Dolohins send two draft picks to the Chicago Bears for a $50 million receiving option in veteran tight end Cole Kmet.
Dolphins trade idea lands Cole Kmet for two picks
“Bears get: 2027 fourth-round pick, 20227 sixth-round pick. Dolphins get: Kmet,” Walder writes. “The Dolphins might be rebuilding, but they still need talent, especially to give quarterback Malik Willis a chance.”
Adding someone like Kmet, even though he might not be a wide receiver, would instantly be an upgrade over their current receiving options at tight end.
Greg Dulcich and rookies Will Kacmarek and Seydou Traore make up the current Dolphins TE room. Kmet wouldn’t just be the starter, he’d be far-and-away the best option in that room if the Dolphins pulled off this deal.
Kmet is under contract on a $50 million deal with cap hits of $7.775 million in 2026 and $15.425 million in 2027, though the Dolphins could save roughly $5 million with a post-June 1 cut of Kmet in 2027 if they want to cut ties with him by then.
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While it might not make much sense for the Dolphins to use draft picks in a trade on a veteran amid their rebuild, in this kind of scenario, where they’d get Kmet for a few years, it might not be a bad idea at all.
A fourth and sixth-round pick isn’t a small amount to give up for Kmet, but considering the current options on the Dolphins roster, which, as Walder noted, “combined for 73 receptions and 888 receiving yards last season,” Kmet would be a nice pickup.
He caught 30 of 48 targets for 347 yards and two touchdowns last year, and in his six-year NFL career, he’s caught 288 passes for 2,939 yards and 21 touchdowns, all with the Bears.
Kmet would be the best target for Willis if the Dolphins made this trade. While it might be a tad expensive, it’s still an intriguing trade idea from Walder.
This offense needs help, and instead of adding more receivers to a crowded and uncertain room, landing a good tight end in Kmet would be a nice way to guarantee at least one good receiving option in 2026 and 2027.
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