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Dolphins urged to take a chance on disappointing former 1st-round pick

Dolphins urged to take a chance on disappointing former 1st-round pick originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

It's no secret that the Miami Dolphins are going through a big roster reset right now.

The team has new leadership and purged the roster of most of the best veterans. Now, the team is building essentially from scratch and needs to find young talent anywhere they can. One spot that is very questionable right now is the wide receiver room.

The Dolphins moved on from Jaylen Waddle and Tyreek Hill, so new quarterback Malik Willis doesn't have that much to work with. If the season started tomorrow, the Dolphins would trot out Jalen Tolbert, Tutu Atwell, and Malik Washington as the starting wideouts.

As a result, FanSided's Justin Carter thinks the Dolphins could make a notable receiver trade ahead of the 2026 deadline.

Dolphins floated as landing spot for Xavier Legette

Xavier Legette was drafted in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft. The Carolina Panthers hoped Legette would become Bryce Young's top target, but that has not happened to this point.

Legette started 13 games as a rookie and ended with 49 catches for 497 yards and four touchdowns. Then, in 2025, Legette took a step back, starting in 12 games and catching 35 passes for 363 yards and three touchdowns.

There's still a chance Legette could pan out, but it may not be in Carolina. The Panthers have Tetairoa McMillan and Jalen Coker getting most of the targets, so a change of scenery could be best for both parties.

Carter thinks, if the Panthers make Legette available, Miami would be a nice landing spot.

"I mentioned in the last section for Keon Coleman that Miami would be a great landing spot except for the fact that the Bills might not want to trade with a fellow AFC East team," Carter explained. "Well, the Panthers and Dolphins are in different conferences completely, so the Dolphins might want to be on the phone with Carolina about Legette."

As Carter mentioned, the Dolphins make sense for pretty much any receiver on the block. Keon Coleman is the main name people have mentioned, but the Buffalo Bills may prefer to send him out of the AFC East.

In that case, Legette makes a ton of sense. He'd have a chance to become a top target in Miami and the change of scenery could give him a confidence boost.

Can Dolphins exceed expectations in 2026?

Pretty much every 2027 mock draft has the Dolphins picking in the top three. There's no question this roster isn't that talented on paper, so it won't be surprising if the team takes some lumps this year.

However, Willis was given a big deal to be the franchise passer. If he ends up being as good as the Dolphins think he can be, the team may avoid the basement. It will be hard to do that, though, with an inexperienced group of pass-catchers.

Perhaps adding a player like Legette could give the offense a much-needed boost.