PHILADELPHIA — If you are a fan of the Philadelphia Eagles, you should be fond of the Miami Dolphins, as well.
Over the last 10 years, Miami has made a number of head scratching decisions during the NFL Draft process. While those mistakes hurt their own team, some of those moves have benefitted the Eagles greatly.
Some decisions by Miami led to Philadelphia acquiring multiple past, present, and future key pieces of their core.
Without Miami, the Eagles might not have their first ever Super Bowl title in 2017. Without the Dolphins, the team might not have two crucial players of their future either.
Here's a look back at three key moments when the Miami Dolphins seemingly became the Eagles "best friend":
Trading up for Oregon DE Dion Jordan
After a 4-12 season in 2012, the Eagles sat inside the top five picks of the 2013 NFL Draft order with the fourth overall selection.
Philadelphia selected Lane Johnson, who has been one of the best offensive tackles in the NFL for nine seasons in midnight green. Who knows where the Eagles would be without Johnson.
Well, we were very close to seeing that reality if the Dolphins didn’t swoop in. Miami traded up for the third overall pick, but they elected to pick Oregon defensive end Dion Jordan over Johnson.
And we fans are thankful they did!
Newly hired head coach Chip Kelly was also Jordan’s coach at Oregon the previous season, and he would have almost certainly picked him if he had the option, perhaps even over Johnson if both were on the board.
Jordan went on to be one of the biggest draft busts in recent memory. Johnson helped the Eagles win a Super Bowl and is still a key piece to their present and future core.
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Helping the Eagles move up in the draft for Carson Wentz
Should the Dolphins have gotten a ring for their contribution to the Eagles 2017 Super Bowl win?
Not only did they help Philadelphia land Lane Johnson, but they also were crucial in the Eagles efforts to move up and draft QB Carson Wentz in the 2016 NFL Draft.
The Eagles needed to get all the way up from pick 13, to at least the No. 2 pick to have a chance at landing Wentz. General manager Howie Roseman decided to try leapfrogging up the board multiple times to get there.
His first move was trading the pick 13, cornerback Byron Maxwell, and linebacker Kiko Alonso for Miami’s eighth pick.
So in retrospect, the Dolphins allowed the Eagles to move five spots up the board, while taking on two bad defensive starters that were brought in by Chip Kelly through expensive trades and contracts.
The Eagles would end up getting the second overall pick and landing Wentz.
Although Nick Foles finished the job, the Eagles don’t win that championship without Wentz. Without his MVP-caliber regular season in 2017, Philadelphia doesn’t get home field advantage throughout the playoffs. Having the NFC come through Lincoln Financial Field was crucial in the title run.
Swapping picks for Alabama receivers
DeVonta Smith and Jaylen Waddle are both going to be really good in the NFL for a long time.
Coming out of Alabama together, both prospects were seen as top 10 talents that would instantly change an offense. The Eagles couldn’t go wrong with either at the sixth overall pick of the 2021 draft.
Then Miami came calling, making the decision a lot easier. The Dolphins offered the No. 12 pick, and their 2022 first round pick for the sixth overall selection. They wanted Waddle.
The Eagles would still get their guy, as they moved up from 12 to 10 to get Smith. So, they essentially got a receiver just as good, if not better than Waddle, while also collecting an extra first round pick in the following draft.
Philadelphia would go on to use that 2022 Miami pick on Georgia defensive Jordan Davis.
The Dolphins said they’d rather have Jaylen Waddle than DeVonta Smith and Jordan Davis.
That may be a crazy thought, but nobody in the City of Brotherly Love is complaining.
Lane Johnson, Carson Wentz, DeVonta Smith, and Jordan Davis; Our friends in South Beach have been pretty generous over the years.