The Miami Dolphins are back to their old tricks — the team is once again wheeling and dealing as general manager Chris Grier attempts to provide his roster with the best possible combination of talent and depth for the season ahead. And, after the Dolphins saw low-risk investments in offensive tackles Isaiah Wilson (cut) and DJ Fluker (injured) this offseason, the team has dialed in yet another gamble. The Dolphins, it was announced this afternoon, have traded for former 2nd-round NFL draft selection Greg Little.
Little, who was drafted No. 37 overall by Carolina in the 2019 NFL draft out of Ole Miss, has played in 14 career games and started six over two seasons with the Panthers.
Panthers traded offensive tackle Greg Little to the Dolphins in exchange for a 2022 seventh-round pick.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 17, 2021
This may not be a move that pays a lot of returns to the Dolphins, but the risk and investment opportunity is a good value for a Dolphins team that clearly wants to protect themselves with as much depth and potential as possible along the offensive line. Little has had his struggles in the NFL to date but he very much fits the profile of the type of athletes the Dolphins have historically gravitated towards up front under this regime.
The challenge now will be getting Little up to speed with the terminology of the offense and trying to simultaneously pull more consistent results out of him as a blocker in both the pass and run game. What that looks like is going to be an intriguing storyline to watch, but Miami should be applauded for finding yet another low-risk bet to make. And, at the end of the day, the potential returns for Little are likely to exceed anything the team would be finding next April with a 2022 7th-round draft choice.
Little will now presumably serve as depth and possibly another contender for the starting right tackle position — assuming they don’t give him any reps behind Austin Jackson on the left side.