Door is open for Dolphins to try trading up
INDIANAPOLIS Cleveland Browns general manager John Dorsey said Thursday he’s willing to wheel and deal with the No. 1 pick of the draft. And he wasn’t alone.
A few teams at the top of the draft weren’t shy about saying they’re open to trades while their representatives spoke at the NFL scouting combine.
It’s unclear whether the Dolphins, who have the No. 11 pick, would be willing to move up. But it’s clear teams are open to negotiation.
“There’s a lot of things I can do at No. 1 and not just get a quarterback, as well,” Dorsey said. “My door is wide open. If somebody wants to come up and talk to me about a trade, I’m willing to trade.”
Denver Broncos executive John Elway had similar sentiment regarding the No. 5 pick.
“We’re open,” he said. “Like you said, everything is going to come in order, and obviously like you said, free agency is first. We’ll be open for business on the fifth pick depending on how things fall.”
And Indianapolis Colts general manager Chris Ballard said the same thing about trading down with the No. 3 pick.
But he said he must other things first.
“If you trade back and you say, ‘Well, look there’s only 15 or 16 first-round players, actual first-round players,’ is it worth trading back for these extra picks?” Ballard said.
“And then the player you are going to take, is he a difference maker to where it doesn’t matter if this one guy is going to make that much of a difference for our football team versus three guys? I think you have to weigh it. consider Are we always
The last time the Dolphins made a significant trade to move up in the first round was 2013 when they traded up nine spots to No. 3 and selected defensive end Dion Jordan. open? Absolutely.”
On a serious note, Carroll said playing baseball can only help Wilson, who started a five-day stay with the Yankees on Monday.
“I think it’s awesome … the focus that it takes to play at this level,” Carroll said, “whether its baseball or basketball or football, to compete at that level the mentality you have to be at, I think it’s only enriching.” running backs or tight ends. Gase said Alonso’s slippage was mostly about technique, not skill.
“When we put him in the right position and he gets up there and he’s aggressive on them, I think he does a really good job,” Gase said.
“When he plays off and kind of waits for that guy to make a move, that’s when we’d rather him be more aggressive and trust the fact that he’s faster than most of these guys. When he does that, that’s usually when he had the most success.”
The Dolphins will likely be in the market for a linebacker either through the draft or free agency. But Alonso is expected to maintain a starting job either in the middle or on the outside, and there’s a chance he might again be on the field in passing situations.
chperkins@sunsentinel.com, Twitter @Chrisperk