Odds to Acquire Minkah Fitzpatrick: Steelers Favored, Eagles & Packers Listed at +400

• The Miami Dolphins lost 59-10 in Week 1 to the Baltimore Ravens
• The Dolphins drafted Minkah Fitzpatrick with the No. 11 overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft
• Miami has allowed Fitzpatrick to seek a trade

It’s only Week 2 and the Miami Dolphins are in shambles. After getting blown out 59-10 in Week 1, it was reported that a number of players requested to be traded. Now we know that one of them was star cornerback Minkah Fitzpatrick. Which teams will be interested and who’ll end up with the defensive back?

Minkah Fitzpatrick Trade Odds

*Odds taken 09/13/19

Fitzpatrick Wants Out

Many teams tank but the Dolphins have telegraphed their plans and that’s turned a lot of veterans off. Often times, a team will say all of the right things, that they want to play hard and contend, but struggle and lose. Once things are out of reach, then they’ll start to fully tank.

However, the Dolphins have made this clear from the get-go as they made few notable moves in free agency, they’re starting journeyman Ryan Fitzpatrick at quarterback rather than young prospect Josh Rosen and they dumped a number of quality players like Kenny Stills and Laremy Tunsil right before the start of the season.

Now Fitzpatrick, who was drafted in the first round last season and is one of the best young players left on the roster, wants out. They’ve allowed him to seek a trade and it looks like the Dolphins will accommodate him as they seem happy to move him for a second-round pick.

Fitzpatrick Played Awful in Week 1

One of the oddest things about Miami here is that they’re willing to trade Fitzpatrick when his value is at a low. He gave up six catches for 117 yards and three touchdowns in Week 1 while committing a couple of penalties. He didn’t allow six receptions in a game all of last season and allowed one touchdown the entire year.

Part of the problem is the new Dolphins’ coaching staff is employing him as a safety a little bit versus just playing cornerback where he excelled last season. They’ve made him play four different positions in one year. So the Dolphins put him out of position, he looked awful and now they’re happy to dump him. Makes sense.

He ranked No. 1 in terms of passer rating (53.4) when covering guys in the slot last season. He’s a good, young player who has already shown he can be among the best corners in the game.

Which Team Will Acquire Him?

The Pittsburgh Steelers are favored to acquire Fitzpatrick but the latest rumors suggest that the Denver Broncos and Seattle Seahawks are also interested. The Steelers were shredded in Week 1 by the New England Patriots but would this be an overreaction? They should still field a fairly good defense.

I’d cross the Broncos off the list as they don’t look like they’re going to be a very good team this season. Fitzpatrick still makes sense for them as he’s a building block but they might rather select a player in the second-round next year than spend it here.

As for the Green Bay Packers, they look like they have a strong secondary already, so I’m not sure why they’re among the favorites. They’ve spent lots of draft capital on corners in the last couple of seasons, so I wouldn’t bet them.

The San Francisco 49ers have already traded away their 2020 second-rounder to the Kansas City Chiefs for Dee Ford and the Chiefs have shipped off one of their two second-round picks to the Seahawks for Frank Clark. The Chiefs could make this move but they only have five picks in the 2020 NFL Draft. Dropping to four would leave dangerously low.

We have seen a lot of great film on Minkah Fitzpatrick dating back to college but yesterday wasn’t pretty

He was targeted 6 times, allowing 6 receptions for 117 yards and 3 touchdowns. He also committed 2 penalties and missed 2 tackles for the game#FinsUp

— Ryan Smith (@PFF_RyanSmith) September 9, 2019

The Seahawks were also burned in Week 1 as they allowed Andy Dalton to set a career high for passing yards (417) and that was without A.J. Green. Their Legion of Boom days are finished as their secondary looks very weak. This is a destination that has been reported and makes a lot of sense. They have that extra second-round pick from the Chiefs.

With them off the board, I’ll take a shot with the Philadelphia Eagles. They’re a team that’s aggressive, has a need and should have two third-round picks next season. That might soften the blow of losing a second-round pick.