Phins trade Chris McCain to Saints

Just saw this on rotoworld:

Saints acquired DE/LB Chris McCain from the Dolphins in exchange for undisclosed late-round draft compensation.
The Saints are desperate for pass rushers, and the Fins never could quite figure out how to use McCain's talents, persistently shuttling him between linebacker and defensive end. McCain has only two sacks at the NFL level. He will compete for a situational role in New Orleans' sub-package defense.

And, from Armando:

http://miamiherald.typepad.com/dolphins_in_depth/2016/08/chris-mccain-headed-to-new-orleans-via-trade.html

Dolphins defensive end Chris McCain reported his days with the team are over and he's headed to #whodat.
#whodat is New Orleans, where McCain was this afternoon dealt for a conditional seventh-round draft pick.

...

The team has four defensive ends they are definitely keeping:

Cameron Wake, Mario Williams, Jason Jones and Andre Branch are on the team. The status of Terrence Fede is unclear based on his recent sprained MCL knee injury that will not require surgery but will require time to heal.

McCain was battling Fede for a roster spot, assuming the team was willing to keep four ends. He is a superior pass rusher while Fede is the better run defender.

But McCain's apparent inability to hold the edge and the fact the team is comfortable with other possibilities at the spot sealed McCain's time in Miami. So look, the Dolphins front office just traded a player that wasn't going to make the team for a late-round pick. I think that is what good front offices generally try to do. I remind you the Dolphins signed McCain as an undrafted free agent two years ago.

Surprising trade IMO, as it looked like McCain was finally starting to show some value as a pass rush specialist. I'm not a big fan of McCain, but I'd much rather keep him than Fede, who has shown me absolutely nothing. Oh, well...at least we got something for him.

The Dolphins never figured out how to use McCain, constantly switching him back and forth between LB and DE and asking him to gain and lose weight.  No doubt that has played a factor in his lack of success.  I also don't think he's the smartest player in the world.  But, I was encouraged by how he played this offseason...seems like odd timing to dump him now.

As for Warmsley, he has looked pretty good.  But, he's a smaller DT best suited for passing downs.  His size and skillset is similar to Suh's - not complementary.  What we need is a big-bodied DT that can stuff the run and free up Suh a bit so he's not doubled on every down.  That's not Warmsley.  I'd definitely keep Warmsley as a role player and backup to Suh, but we need a run plugger.

The problem with this roster is that we have Suh, Mitchell, Chris Jones and Warmsley at DT - and all are similar players in terms of size and skillset (although Suh is obviously way more talented than the others).  The only big DT guaranteed a roster spot is Phillips, and he might not even make the team if he wasn't a 2nd round pick last season.  Deandre Coleman fits the bill for what we need, but I don't think he's ready for the NFL.  That said, if Mitchell goes on IR or gets cut (doubtful IMO) maybe Coleman gets a chance.  Terrence Knighton is also available in free agency, but who knows if he's in shape.

The one no-name in recent years that became a real good player is Rob Ninkovich, who of course is on the Patriots. They also have Jonathan Freeny, who has become a valuable role player on D and STs for the Pats.

Oh well...at least they tried to get a pick for him!

white1 wrote:I don't understand what's wrong with McCain, it's clearly something beyond his performance.

Makes enough plays in practice and game time, but has yet to find a coaching staff willing to trust him/ value him enough to start him.

Gotta be either attitude, knowing the playbook, or temper.  He's been a fighter in practice, maybe that's it.

I really think he's just not smart enough to learn the plays.  That's the only thing I can think of, because the talent is clearly there.

I had a feeling the Saints would cut McCain when they signed Paul Kruger, but still...you would think a team with pass rush issues like the Saints could find a spot for him.