Miami Dolphins: Raekwon McMillan trade highlights busy Saturday

Miami Dolphins quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick was a scratch for Saturday’s practice as his mother died on Saturday morning. Having missed last Friday’s practice for what the Dolphins described as personal reasons, it became clear that something was wrong for Fitzpatrick. As a report for ESPN notes, the team knelt in prayer in support for Fitzpatrick.

Miami Dolphins trade Raekwon McMillan

The Miami Dolphins made a move on Saturday, trading linebacker Raekwon McMillan to the Oakland Raiders for a fourth-round pick.

McMillan played in 28 games for the Dolphins over the past two seasons. Now that the Dolphins have  additional linebacker depth, McMillan is falling down the depth chart.

Perhaps even a bigger piece of this is that he is in the final year of his contract.

Miami was wise to get something for the former Ohio State linebacker instead of letting him walk. With the newfound depth at the linebacker position, that could have been a potential possibility.

Either way, the Dolphins have continued to stock up on draft picks. We saw it with the trade of Kalen Ballage. It will be interesting to see what Miami does with this draft pick.

Here are some initial reactions to the trade of McMillan, courtesy of the Five Reasons Sports Team.

In two successive years, Dolphins over-drafted two players on the basis of the view that they were A+ character leaders. Minkah Fitzpatrick turned petulant child and was traded. Now Raekwon McMillan has been traded as well. Perhaps that valuation system needs review.

— Chris Kouffman (@ckparrot) August 29, 2020

Make no mistake, Raekwon McMillan was a fit for Brian Flores's defense. But the value of that fit wasn't high because the skill set for that role in the defense isn't particularly rare. Hence, the Dolphins were able to acquire legit competition for it (Elandon Roberts) cheaply.

— Chris Kouffman (@ckparrot) August 29, 2020

And the facts are that the team wants more guys who are three down flexible. Grugier-Hill is a perfect example. Elandon Roberts too. Grugier-Hill was a solid sub package linebacker who can cover well. That’s not Raekwon’s strength. https://t.co/aB5MzzuV9F

— Three Yards Per Carry (@3YardsPerCarry) August 29, 2020

Raekwon is a nice run playing linebacker but schematically it’s not a fit for a team that will play six and seven defensive backs and has Baker and KVN as the two LB’s on the field most of the time. https://t.co/5pFQPsbvUo

— Three Yards Per Carry (@3YardsPerCarry) August 29, 2020