Miami Dolphins massive winners in Kenny Stills trade

The Miami Dolphins active offseason began with the blockbuster Ndamukong Suh signing that will completely reshape their defense, and it continued when they signed Cleveland Browns ace tight end Jordan Cameron after it was initially reported that Cameron had re-signed. But they saved their shrewdest move for today, as Pro Football Talk reported that the Dolphins acquired high-upside wide receiver Kenny Stills from the New Orleans Saints, sending just a third-round pick and linebacker Dannell Ellerbe.

Much has been made of the Saints massive retooling this offseason, and they’ve been making some huge, unprecedented moves, though none will ever be as shocking as the Jimmy Graham trade to the Seattle Seahawks. We heard rumors surface that the Saints would be open to trading almost anyone on the team, with specific reports surfacing regarding Stills’s placement on the trade block.

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Since Stills will be just 23 when the season opens up and average a monstrous 11.2 yards per target last season, per Advanced Football Analytics, I thought it would be senseless for the Saints to ship him off. Stills is extremely cheap on his rookie deal that will take him until the 2017 season, and he’s produced at a high level every time the Saints have consistently opened up his workload and route tree. He caught over 75% of everything thrown at him last year despite averaging nearly 15 yards per reception, and Stills is excellent at stretching the field vertically and making plays.

Stills alone makes this deal a good one for the Dolphins, because he has monster upside and is better than any receiver the Dolphins would have realistically expected to take with a third-round pick. But this trade has so much more in the positive department than just the acquisition of Stills, since the Dolphins are able to clear out some major cap space as a result, and this is important considering how much money they decided to invest in Suh as another difference-maker on defense.

Ellerbe simply had no place with the Dolphins and would have had a grotesque $9.85 million cap hit, so the Dolphins were going to get rid of him no matter what after already cutting ties with fellow 2013 free agent LB bust Philip Wheeler. Maybe Ellerbe can be a fantastic replacement for Curtis Lofton and flash the ability he showed as a brief impact player for the Baltimore Ravens, but he sure as heck didn’t fit what the Dolphins were doing, especially at that completely unreasonable and untenable cap hit.

Considering that Stills will make well under $1 million in each of the next two seasons before his deal runs out, the Miami Dolphins are saving a copious amount of cap space and getting a player with higher upside in the process. There is no upside in keeping someone who has been well below-average in the two seasons since signing with the team, so even though Ellerbe has bounce-back potential with the Saints, there was no reason for the Dolphins to be hopeful. Even if Ellerbe’s cap hit were reasonable, he still would have been a trading chip for this team.

Mike Wallace is a polarizing wide receiver who literally gave up on the team at the end of the season and will make a ridiculous amount of cash in the upcoming three seasons after being former GM Jeff Ireland’s splash signing in 2013. Wallace is a good receiver and played well last season, but he hasn’t fit in well enough as a deep threat despite his credible production and massive touchdown haul in 2014.

The Dolphins have been busy trying to agree to a restructured deal, but it’s completely fair to wonder if the Kenny Stills trade is a sign that the team has just about given up on trying to get Wallace to take less money. Wallace once held all the leverage, since the ‘Fins would have been in trouble without him at the position, specifically when it comes to stretching the field.

Wide receiver looked like a huge strength for the Dolphins going into the 2014 season, but Brian Hartline‘s horrible year and Brandon Gibson‘s inability to regain his form following a severe knee injury in 2013 meant that Landry and Wallace had to carry the day for franchise QB Ryan Tannehill.

Dec 28, 2014; Tampa, FL, USA; New Orleans Saints wide receiver Kenny Stills (84) runs with the ball against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during the second half at Raymond James Stadium. New Orleans Saints defeated the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 23-20. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Cameron is in, Charles Clay has been transition tagged, Stills is now here, and only Wallace and Landry remain as notable receivers from last season’s squad. Tannehill’s 2015 pass-catching core hasn’t been fully synthesized yet, and it will be interesting to see if the addition of a high-upside player in Stills, who can go vertical, spells another cap-cutting move in Wallace’s release.

Acquiring Stills gives the Dolphins an opportunity to cut Wallace, since it would have been an almost unthinkable move for them to dump him with just Landry at WR. Stills has put up monster rate statistics and was quietly consistent last season with just two games under three receptions, so there’s plenty of hope that he can develop into a true star at the position.

Parting ways with a third-round pick is the only real loss from the Dolphins perspective, but it’s a more than fair price to pay for saving money and snagging a high-upside receiver who, if Wallace is released, could save them even more money in the near future.

Next: Did the Dolphins 'win' the Suh deal?

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