The NFL trade deadline has come and gone, but offseason rumblings have already begun. For teams that are not currently competing for a playoff spot, or sitting somewhere in the middle, they must keep one eye on the rest of this season and another on the future.
The league’s Week 11 slate started in Madrid at the famous Bernabéu Stadium, where the Commanders took on the Dolphins in yet another international affair that sadly did not exceed expectations. Both Washington and Miami aren’t expected to compete for a playoff spot, but the game itself was a close one, so that’s a win in itself, I suppose? But before we dive into what’s next for one of these teams, it’s time to take a journey around the league.
The Giants fired Brian Daboll this week. It turns out selecting a rookie quarterback wasn’t enough to save his job, despite his close relationship with Jaxson Dart. While Dart himself has exceeded expectations in his rookie season, there are some adjustments he can avoid many of the pitfalls he’s found himself in early. Namely, Dart’s been forced out of games and into concussion protocol on more than one occasion. He’s set to miss the Giants Week 11 matchup with the Green Bay Packers. As a result, the Giants have urged Dart to change his approach, and think of his long-term health on each and every scramble.
“People both inside and outside the Giants organization spoke with Dart, who remains in the concussion protocol, and urged the rookie quarterback to be more thoughtful and careful with when and how he runs,” ESPN’s Adam Schefter wrote.
The Giants don’t want to change who Dart is as a player, but what they can’t afford is for him to miss significant time because of an injury suffered while on the run. Dart’s legs are a benefit to himself and the Giants. If he can learn to slide well – which could be an offseason activity – and get down early enough to avoid big hits, it’ll help everyone involved. The Giants aren’t going anywhere without Dart on the field, after all.
As bad as Tua Tagovailoa has been, the Dolphins don’t plan on moving on from him – or head coach Mike McDaniel, for that matter – just yet. Per NFL Insider Ian Rapoport, team owner Stephen Ross prefers to keep McDaniel and Tagovailoa around for another season. That would be a mistake based on what we’ve seen so far this season, and the past few years for that matter.
The Dolphins have pieces in Jaylen Waddle and De’Von Achane, but Tagovailoa has proven he can only take this team so far with his arm. McDaniel, meanwhile, has gone from coaching wunderkind to entirely predictable to the rest of the NFL, and unable to make adjustments on the fly.
Miami entered the season as a fringe playoff contender, and was quickly exposed thanks in large part to Tagovailoa and McDaniel. Miami ranks 25th in passing yards per game despite featuring Waddle, Tagovailoa and (at times) Tyreek Hill this season. Achane is one of the best receiving backs in the NFL in his own right. In their current system, the Dolphins are wasting that talent. Tagovailoa’s future is linked at the hip with McDaniel, which is not a good place to be for the Alabama product.
The Jaguars sent a haul to the Cleveland Browns for the rights to select Travis Hunter, who they thought had the potential to be a two-way superstar the likes of which the NFL had never seen. They took their shot, and thus far it has backfired. Hunter has proven to be a decent-enough wide receiver, but his usage as a two-way player ain’t it. Doing so puts Hunter at further injury risk and also limits his snaps on one side of the ball. This isn’t Colorado, and while Hunter has shown flashes, he’d be better off committing as a wide receiver or defensive back – not both – especially after he was knocked out for the remainder of the season and needs knee surgery.
“All of those things are very premature,” Coen said on Nov. 12. “Like every player, he’ll be evaluated at the end of the season and we’ll give him the things he did (best) and the things to improve on. Right now, our focus is on Chargers.”
Rapoport said on Sunday morning that the Jaguars intend on keeping Hunter as a two-way player, which feels a lot like a coping mechanism. In order to acquire Hunter, the Jaguars traded their 2025 first-round pick, a second and fourth rounder, as well as their 2026 first-round selection. That’s a lot! If Hunter doesn’t turn into the two-way, Shohei Ohtani-type Jacksonville hoped, it’s an overpay.
