Since it was announced that the Indianapolis Colts were open to trading star running back Jonathan Taylor, the Miami Dolphins were circled as the most likely landing spot. The Dolphins have been inserted in adding an elite running back all offseason, so surely they would be interested in Taylor. That belief was confirmed when it was reported that Miami was in contact with Indy and had even made an offer.
However, no trade has been finalized yet. If something is going to happen, everyone had Tuesday, August 29, as the day it would. Not only is it the day that teams must get their rosters down to just 53 players and make PUP decisions, but it’s also the deadline the Colts gave Taylor to find a suitable trade.
As of now, Taylor is still with the Colts, but it seems like the Dolphins may be preparing to welcome Taylor. On Tuesday, as Miami trims it’s roster, it has intentionally been creating more cap space, not just with cuts either. The Dolphins traded guard Dan Feeney to the Chicago Bears and restructured the contract of wide receiver Cedrick Wilson. Those two moves alone created $4.2 million of cap space for the year, almost just enough for Taylor’s 2023 cap hit.
In trading G Dan Feeney to the Bears, & reworking the contract of WR Cedrick Wilson, the #Dolphins have freed up around $4.2M of cap space in 2023.
— Spotrac (@spotrac) August 29, 2023
Jonathan Taylor's traded cap hit is $4.304M.
Are the Dolphins creating cap space for Jonathan Taylor?
This could be a coincidence, or Miami and the Colts could be finalizing a trade to send Jonathan Taylor to the Dolphins at any second now. Considering that the interest is there, the hold up has to be a matter of compensation. Indianapolis wants a first-round pick or a package of equal value, and it’s unlikely that Miami wants to part with that much.
Additionally, Jonathan Taylor is seeking a contract extension. It’s unclear how much he’s asking for, but a team must be willing to pay him, while also sending the Colts some picks. Will that happen on Tuesday? Will the Colts get a first-round pick or just settle for the best available package and end this saga? Will Jonathan Taylor get a new contract that positively impacts the running back market? Will the Miami Dolphins be the team to answer these questions? We should find out soon.