Just ahead of the start of the 2020 regular season, the Miami Dolphins made some noise with some personnel decisions that shook up the established order of the team’s defensive depth chart — most prominent among them the decision to trade veteran linebacker Raekwon McMillan to the Las Vegas Raiders.
The Dolphins sent McMillan, a fourth-year veteran entering into a contract year, and a 2021 5th-round pick to the Raiders for a 2021 4th-round pick — that same selection was sent back to the Las Vegas Raiders in the days that followed in a second, separate deal involving rookie wide receiver Lynn Bowden Jr. In all, the Dolphins swap materialized between both trades as follows:
Miami receives:
- Rookie WR Lynn Bowden Jr.
- 2021 6th-round draft selection
Las Vegas receives:
- 2021 5th-round selection
- LB Raekwon McMillan
The decision to trade McMillan ruffled some feathers in the Dolphins’ fanbase, bemoaning the decision to part ways with a physical run defender who had developed into a strong presence between the tackles. But Miami had other plans for that role, instead opting to shovel his reps there to LB Elandon Roberts. And, when Roberts started the season slow and the Dolphins conceded 217 rushing yards in Week 1 to the New England Patriots, there was a general sense of concern that the Dolphins had made a mistake.
But upon further review, the Dolphins are the clear winners of this exchange — and hope to claim a second win against the Raiders by logging one on the football field on Saturday night.
The draft choices exchanged here are inconsequential — they serve as proverbial lottery tickets that aren’t likely to bear any significant fruit. But between McMillan and Bowden Jr.; which player would you rather have? McMillan, who is still due for free agency this offseason, has played just 77 defensive snaps for the Raiders through the first 15 games of the season. Only two games this season have seen him log more than 10 defensive snaps (including a season high 28 defensive snaps last week).
Or, alternatively, you can have the player the Dolphins left the exchanges with in Bowden Jr; a talented rookie playmaker who has also taken his fair share of time working into the lineup; but provided much better results. The rookie has accounted for 191 yards from scrimmage over the last three games and logged nearly as many snaps on offense this past week alone (65) as McMillan has logged on defense for the Raiders all season.
When you add in Bowden is a player who will be under contract for three more seasons after 2020 comes to a close and it is clear that Miami pulled the right strings on their dealings with the Raiders. And for as motivated as Raekwon McMillan may be to make his old team pay for trading him this summer, you can be rest assured that Bowden Jr. is also ready to have a little extra in his game on Saturday night after the Raiders traded him just months after drafting him in the 3rd-round of the 2020 NFL Draft.