Should the Dolphins trade Matt Moore?

With the October 30 NFL trade deadline approaching, all 32 General Managers in the league will be searching for ways to improve their teams. After seven weeks of football, it is eveident as to where each team stands, whether they are in a contending or rebuilding year and what needs each squad is looking to fill. At a record of 3-3, the Miami Dolphins are neither looking to trade assets for picks nor looking for veterans that will push the team over the top in order to make a championship run. Instead, Miami will be looking to add players that fit the long term plan of this franchise as well as being able to make an impact this season and hopefully assist the team in making the playoffs.

One of the Dolphins most interesting assets is a player that has come into high demand in recent weeks, backup quarterback Matt Moore. With several teams in need of a starting quarterback, Moore has become a viable option for the remaining ten weeks of the season. The 28 year old appeared in 13 games last year while making 12 starts following an injury to Chad Henne. He completed 210 out of 347 passes for a total of 2,497 yards along with 16 touchdowns and 9 interceptions. Moore’s strong play down the stretch led Miami to a record of 6-3 in their last nine games and resulted in him being named team MVP. With the impressive play of rookie Ryan Tannehill, Moore has now become expendable.

If Moore is to be traded, one of his likeliest destinations is the Arizona Cardinals. After an impressive 4-0 start, the Cardinals have dropped 3 straight games and will be without starting quarterback Kevin Kolb for significant time who has multiple ribs detached from his sternum. Without Kolb, John Skelton has taken over the offense leaving no capable backup option beind him. Unfortunately for the Cardinals, Skelton has had injury concerns of his own, only suiting up for two games this season while throwing for 456 yards, three interceptions and only one touchdown. Matt Moore would not only provide the Cardinals with depth at the quarterback position for this year alone, he has also proven to be a better quarterback than anyone on Arizona’s current roster.

Arizona would be an ideal trading partner for the Dolphins seeing as the Cardinals have a surplus of wide recievers. A possible return in a package for Matt Moore could be either Andre Roberts who’s racked up 22 recpetions, 286 yards, four touchdowns or Early Doucet with totals of 14 receptions for 119 yards. Moore alone may not be enough to acquire one of these wide recievers, draft picks would likely be involved. 

Another landing spot for Moore would be the Kansas City Chiefs. With the Chiefs performing well below their offseason expectations with a 1-5 start to the year, rumours have swirled that Matt Cassel will be replaced as starting quarterback following this season. Cassel has fallen out of favour with the Kansas City fan base as the team has lost three straight games with Cassel only throwing for 1150 yards, 5 touchdowns and 9 interceptions all season for a quarterback rating of 66.2. Backup Brady Quinn hasn’t faired any better as he has failed to throw a touchdown while tossing two interceptions for a rating of 53.3. Moore has the ability to get the Chiefs back on track and salvage their season in a comparably weak conference. 

What bodes well for Miami is that the Chiefs also have a surplus of wide recievers that they would be willing to move. The first name that comes to mind is star wideout Dwayne Bowe who has 34 receptions for 427 yards on the season. Bowe would be a great fit for Miami and would easily be a No. 1 option in South Beach, however seeing as he will be a free agent this offseason, the Dolphins should avoid surrendering assets for a rental. A blockbuster deal of this calibre would be tough to finalize in just over a week therefore Miami’s best chance at landing Bowe would be in free agency. Other intriguing options that would make sense for the Dolphins are wide recivers Jon Baldwin and Steve Breaston. Both are solid options in the passing game, more so with Baldwin who has 193 yards on 13 receptions.

GM Jeff Ireland is in the driver’s seat when looking for a possible deal for Matt Moore. At this point in time, the team is in no hurry to part ways with Moore therefore the deal should only be made if it improves Miami both in a short and long term perspective. 

In the case that a trade is completed, Pat Devlin would be Tannehill’s temporary backup and there is nothing ruling out a return from David Garrard to the active roster.