Dolphins release 2 notable players at Patriots positions of need

The Miami Dolphins have released two expensive players and entered tank mode. And the Patriots could be a team that benefits from it.

Monday's big news in the NFL involved the Dolphins shedding two of their biggest albatross contracts, a pair of aging stars that are left to liekly find whichever club is willing to pay them the most on a one- or two-year deal. But both edge rusher Bradley Chubb and Tyreek Hill would immediately fill needs on a number of teams, and the Patriots are on that list.

Let's put Hill to the side, though. He's entering his age-32 season and coming off a four-game season cut short by a devastating knee injury, which was including but not limited to a torn ACL. Even before that, his production dropped off in 2024 (81-959-6) despite playing a full season. And not to mention, Hill has a troubling history of off-field trouble with little indication that it's going to be any better going forward.

Chubb is the player to watch for the Patriots. He's younger than Hill at age 29 going on 30, feasbily with a couple good years left in him if he can stay healthy. He did play all 17 games in 2025 for the Dolphins, but missed all of 2024 with a torn ACL and played single-digit games in four other years out of his 10 in the league. So, it's essentially a coin-flip whether Chubb is going to make it through the season.

But as a 1-for-1 replacement for K'Lavon Chaisson, should Chaisson depart for a lucrative deal in free agency, Chubb would have a chance to not just replace that production at the right edge rusher spot but possibly improve on it. He logged 8.5 sacks and 48 total pressures in a solid bounce-back from the lost ACL year. He's bigger than Chaisson (6-foot-4, 270 pounds) and can more reliably set the edge against the run, an issue that the Seahawks exploited in the Super Bowl.

The question is how much Chubb would cost, and whether he can still be the same player after crossing the dreaded age-30 threshold. If the Patriots save money from signing Chubb rather than re-signing Chaisson or a younger, more expensive free agent on a longer-term deal, it's fair to wonder if that money would actually be reallocated to other areas of need. And there's the other side of the line, where Harold Landry played hurt and didn't look like the same player he did early in the season. An upgrade may be needed there, too.

But as a short-term fix for a Patriots defensive front that could use an infusion of pass-rush talent, and get closer to being able to generate pressure with just four up front, Chubb makes sense. It'll be interesting to see how long it takes for him to sign, and how many teams are interested. The Patriots should be, on some level.