MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — The Miami Dolphins internally viewed much of the reporting involving Jonathan Taylor trade talks with part-bemusement, part-irritation.
The Dolphins are connected in media reports to seemingly any big name that either hits free agency or the trade market, and there are times that they’re simply being used by those with an agenda to help their leverage.
Jonathan Taylor might have been one of those instances.
While it’s true that the Dolphins had preliminary conversations with the Indianapolis Colts regarding Taylor, Grier said Wednesday that “95 [of what was reported] is wrong.”
Jonathan Taylor Rumors: Did the Colts Really Ask Miami Dolphins for Jaylen Waddle?
Among the things that were reported — by the Miami Herald Wednesday — was that the Colts made “wild” asks, including one that involved second-year receiver Jaylen Waddle.
“I’m not going to go into discussions that were talked about,” Grier said, “… Jaylen Waddle would not be available to anybody. It wouldn’t matter who they talked about.”
It’s a smart position. The Dolphins’ offense is dynamic with Waddle and Tyreek Hill. Miami would have real trouble in the passing game without one of them.
If that was indeed floated by the Colts — and Grier insists that the talks were “exploratory” and “there were no exchange of offers” — it misread the Dolphins’ roster self-assessment.
Chris Grier says the Dolphins have an offensive line they can win with pic.twitter.com/ZXoziX5nSy
— Adam Beasley (@AdamHBeasley) August 30, 2023
Desperate teams would accept such a trade. The Dolphins are far from desperate.
Asked Wednesday if he believes the Dolphins can compete with the best of the best in the AFC — the Chiefs, Bengals, and Bills — Grier replied:
“I do. I think we can compete with them. It’ll be to-[be]-determined this season. But we do. We feel good about the players. Mike [McDaniel] and the coaching staff do a fantastic job. I think this group is a very close group that’s focused. They’ve had a great camp working together. It’s a very close unit. It’s fun to be around them. They enjoy being around each other. That’s always a big key when you’re building a team.”