Miami Dolphins trade Jay Ajayi to Philadelphia Eagles for 4th-round pick

he Miami Dolphins are shaking up the worst offense in the NFLby trading starting tailback Jay Ajayi to the Philadelphia Eaglesfor a fourth-round pick, according to a league source.

Ajayi, who led the Dolphins in rushing with 1,272 yards last season, is off to a slow start in 2017. Combined with Miami’s troubles on the offensive line, the Dolphins have produced the second-worst rushing offense in the NFL.

Ajayi, a Pro Bowl selection last year, has gained 465 rushing yards on 138 carries this season, an average of 3.4 yards per attempt. Most of his yards — all but 83 — have come after contact this season.

The Dolphins and the Eagles have history of doing deals together since Mike Tannenbaum has been in Miami. The Dolphins acquired Kiko Alonso and Byron Maxwell from the Eagles in the 2016 offseason.

With Ajayi gone, expect Kenyan Drake to take over as Miami’s starting tailback, and for Damien Williams to continue in his role as the Dolphins’ third-down back.

Gase criticized his offensive players the dat after Miami’s 40-0 loss to the Baltimore Ravens, and hinted that changes had to be made, and flat out said Miami’s best players needed to do a better job mastering their assignments.

Gase said his best tailbacks needs to stop “trying to hit home runs,” and take the yards that are blocked for. That seemed to be a criticism of Ajayi, who was also struggling as a pass catcher and pass protector this season.

Drake, a former Alabama standout the Dolphins picked in the third round of the 2016 draft, has sparingly been used this season. He’s rushed for 25 yards on 10 carries and caught three passes for 7 yards. But the Dolphins have thoroughly evaluated his practice performances, as Ajayi typically sits out one day of practice each week resting his knees.

The biggest concern with Drake moving forward is whether he can master Miami’s playbook, learning his assignments, which has been coach Adam Gase’s main criticism of the second-year player.

Williams, who is in his fourth season as Miami’s third down back, has proven he’s a reliable blocker and adequate pass catcher. Last year he contributed a career-high of six touchdowns. But Williams’ 3.3 yards per carry average throughout his career has been disappointing. However, most of his 99 rushing attempts have come in short yardage situations.

The Dolphins also have Senorise Perry on the 53-man roster, but he’s primarily used on special teams, and hasn’t played on offense so far this season.

It’s possible that the Dolphins are not finished making moves before today’s trade deadline expires.

Jarvis Landry, who leads the team with 50 receptions he’s turned into 398 yards and three touchdowns, could be moved considering he’ll likely be an unrestricted free agent this offseason. However, the Dolphins likely won’t move him for anything less than a third-round pick because that’s the level of compensatory pick the franchise will receiver for Landry, a two-time Pro Bowl selection, if he signs with another team next offseason.

Source: sentinel