Dolphins trade Lawson to Texans for LB McKinney
The Dolphins and the Houston Texans swapped defenders Sunday. The Dolphins get inside linebacker Benardrick McKinney, and the Texans get defensive end Shaq Lawson.
The Texans and Dolphins made a big trade Sunday.
And it might be the prelude of an even bigger one in the weeks to come.
Houston and Miami swapped front-seven defenders Sunday, as the Dolphins sent edge rusher Shaq Lawson to the Texans for inside linebacker Benardrick McKinney.
The teams, who have also been linked in trade chatter involving star quarterback Deshaun Watson, also exchanged late-round draft picks in the deal.
McKinney will fill the lineup hole created when the Dolphins cut Kyle Van Noy last week. Lawson will rush the passer for his third team in as many seasons.
And their contracts are basically a wash from a cap standpoint. Lawson was set to earn roughly $8 million and count $9.8 million against the cap. But Lawson’s Dolphins cap charge drops to $2.7 million in dead money once the trade becomes official Wednesday.
McKinney, granted permission by Houston to seek a trade, as NFL Network reported, is owed just more than $6 million in total compensation in 2021. So the Dolphins acquired a player of need and opened up another $1 million in cap space in the deal.
Granted, they also created another need. Lawson had 25 pressures and four sacks in his first and only year with the Dolphins after signing a three-year, $30 million deal before the 2020
season.
The trade, combined with the Dolphins’ decision to release Van Noy after one season, gives the Dolphins latitude to aggressively pursue one of the multiple high-end pass rushers in free agency.
Carl Lawson (Bengals), Bud Dupree (Steelers), Yannick Ngakoue (Ravens) and Melvin Ingram (Chargers) are among those expected to hit the open market this week. Even without restructuring any contracts and making further cuts, the Dolphins have in the neighborhood of $33 million in cap space, accounting for the trade with the Texans and the swap with the Titans for tackle Isaiah Wilson.
So who are the Dolphins getting in McKinney?
A 28-year-old former second-round pick out of Mississippi State, McKinney is a force when healthy.
He was second-team All-Pro in 2016 and a Pro Bowler in 2018. He signed a five-year, $50 million extension three years ago, but has appeared in just 18 games the past two seasons, missing all but four last year with a shoulder injury.
McKinney has started 77 games in his six NFL seasons, totaling 530 tackles (including 35 for loss),
11 1⁄2 sacks and 30 quarterback hits.