The trade deadline has come and gone, and rumors continue to trickle in concerning details on potential trades that fell short. One of the latest such rumors concerns Baltimore’s search for a pass rusher which failed to yield a trade for Dolphins outside linebacker Bradley Chubb, an avenue the Ravens explored, according to Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic. 
After finishing with the second-most sacks in the NFL in 2024, Baltimore’s defense has been unrecognizable from last year’s. Currently, the Ravens are tied with two other teams for the second-lowest sack total in the NFL. Their current sack leaders — Nnamdi Madubuike (2.0) and Tavius Robinson (2.0) — both currently sit on injured reserve; Madubuike has sat atop the Ravens’ sack leaderboard since hitting the IR after Week 2. Madubuike was joined on IR by fellow interior defender Broderick Washington.
Additionally, both of the team’s Penn State pass rushers are not available to them. Former first-round pick Odafe Oweh was traded to the Chargers in an exchange that brought safety Alohi Gilman to the secondary. Adisa Isaac, last year’s third-round pick, has yet to make his 2025 debut after only appearing in four games his rookie year. The team used one of two preseason designations to return from IR on Isaac, so he’s clearly expected to be a factor at some point this year, but nine weeks into the season, we haven’t even seen his 21-day practice window open.
There were plenty of attractive pass rushing options on the trade market. The Dolphins, alone, had three in Chubb, Jaelan Phillips, and Matt Judon. There were also big names coming out of New York — Quinnen Williams and Jermaine Johnson II — and a familiar name from Arizona in Calais Campbell. Some of these options were going to be much more expensive than the others, and the Ravens are known for valuing fit over pure talent.
A top-tier option like Williams was likely never on the table for Baltimore. Johnson and Phillips were going to be a stretch, as well, but they were certainly available for teams willing to shell out some higher draft picks. The Ravens opted for a middle-of-the-road option in Tennessee’s Dre’Mont Jones.
Over six years with the Broncos and Seahawks, Jones proved to be a middling performer with career highs of 6.5 sacks, nine tackles for loss, and 13 quarterback hits. Through only nine games with the Titans this season, Jones’ totals — 4.5 sacks, five tackles for loss, and nine quarterback hits — have him on pace to set some new career highs, especially considering he’ll get to 18 games by coming to Baltimore before the Titans’ bye week but after the Ravens’.
Chubb and Judon were seemingly around a similar tier as Jones — Judon less so, considering his age (33) and declining production over the past few years. Chubb is two years removed from his strongest season since his 12-sack rookie campaign, but one of those removed years was spent sitting out the 2024 season with a torn ACL. That wasn’t the only time Chubb has missed extensive time, either. Over his eight years in the NFL, Chubb has missed over half of the season three times. Considering that injuries are the reason Baltimore was shopping at this position at all, an injury history like Chubb’s may have weighed heavily on their ultimate decision.
The Dolphins could also have been a factor in the deal not getting done. Despite rumors of a fire sale following the departure of former general manager Chris Grier, when it came to the team’s major assets, there didn’t appear to be any discounts. According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, the Dolphins held firm on their asking prices, meaning that Chubb was not going to be a cheap acquisition.
Ultimately, it appears both Chubb and the Dolphins are pleased with how things played out. The Miami Herald’s Barry Jackson quoted Chubb talking about the conversations that interim general manager Champ Kelly made sure he was privy to. While Chubb got to stay in Miami for now, the team made no promises for what happens after the season.
Chubb’s contract has no more guarantees after this year, and base salaries over the next two years of $19.45MM and $18.48MM are accompanied by $31.2MM and $31.54MM cap hits. The prospect of inheriting a contract with such heavy commitments likely hindered Chubb’s tradability, as well. Ultimately, a release with a post-June 1 designation following the season has the potential to put Chubb back on the free agent market.
