According to Jordan Schultz, the Dolphins are releasing 2x Pro Bowler pass rusher Bradley Chubb. Now, he will become a very sought free agent. Chubb had a $31.2 million cap number for the next NFL season. With this move, the Dolphins will save $7.3 million in cap space and will take $23.8 million in dead money.

Tua Tagovailoa‘s future is not precisely certain, another quarterback could be on the team’s radar. However, the team does have a clear intention on renewing the defense. Hence, the Chubb move makes sense, despite the big blow on the team’s cap space.

Chubb will be a prominent free agent

Chubb had 8.5 sacks last season at 29 years old after missing the 2024 season with a torn ACL. The former Bronco also had 20 QB hits and forced two fumbles in 2025 as well. Given the fact that pass rushers are a high-level need in plenty of teams, Chubb will likely get plenty of suitors.

When healthy, or at least when playing more than 14 games in a season, Chubb has always been north of 7.5 sacks. He is very productive and can lineup in either side of the line of scrimmage. That versatility is very strong. The only asterisk next to Chubb’s name is his injury history.

Jeff Hafley will need to look for a pass rusher

The Dolphins now released their best pass rusher. After Chubb’s 8.5 sacks, the next best player getting to the QB was defensive tackle Zach Sieler, who only had 5.5 sacks in 2025. Hence, it’s almost imperative for the new head coach to be on the lookout for a top-tier pass rusher.

Hafley just had Micah Parsons on the Green Bay Packers, so he knows that a good pass rusher makes a real impact on the game. With that in mind, this is just one of the many things the Dolphins need to do to go back to NFL relevancy.

The trade deadline is a very special moment in the NFL. All the teams are trying to get the best players available and, thanks to their need, they give away huge picks or players to acquire their targets.

Now, with a 3-5 record in the 2022 NFL season, it seems like Denver is already thinking in the 2023 campaign. They gave away Bradley Chubb to a Super Bowl contendant, which thinks that the linebacker is the player they needed to fight for the championship.

Bradley Chubb’s trade to the Miami Dolphins: What are the Broncos receiving?

In recent days, multiple reports said that the Broncos might be trading their best players thinking in the 2023 NFL season. With a 3-5 record, it would be pretty hard for them to earn a spot in the Playoffs this year.

For this reason, Denver moved on from Bradley Chubb, one of their best players, to recover some picks in the next Drafts. When they traded for Russell Wilson, they gave away too many picks and the fans were not very comfortable with the move.

Now, Bradley Chubb will be playing for the Dolphins. Miami still is in the hunt for a spot in the Playoffs and think that adding a top linebacker could be the solution to its problems as they only have 15 sacks this season and the former fifth-overall pick is a specialist in this topic.

Of course, they had to give away huge things for Chubb. In exchange for the linebacker, Miami gave Denver a 2023 1st round(San Francisco pick), 2024 4th-pick and running back Chase Edmonds; Dolphins acquired the OLB and a 2025 5th round pick.