Timothy T. Ludwig-USA TODAY Sports
It is no surprise that with the 2013 NFL Draft just hours away, the Miami Dolphins are in the middle of several draft day trade rumors. It is also no surprise that the newest rumor involves slot-receiver, Davone Bess. Bess has been rumored to be the odd man out in Miami, and now it seems those rumors carried weight. Sean Jensen of the Chicago Sun-Times took to Twitter on Wednesday with this:
#Browns seriously considering a trade for Dolphins WR Davone Bess, according to a league source. Several teams in the mix.
— Sean Jensen (@seankjensen) April 24, 2013
As stated, it really comes as no surprise to hear Bess is being shopped. Bess has become a fan favorite during his six seasons with the Dolphins, but with the re-signing of Brian Hartline, and additions of Mike Wallace and Brandon Gibson, it was fairly clear Bess would be moved at some point.
Bess has been a great receiver for the Dolphins during his time in Miami. He has great hands, runs a clean route and has the strength to rough it up with opposing corners. He lacks blazing speed, but he is still considered by many to be a top five NFL slot-receiver. Ranked 38th among all 2012 receivers by Pro Football Focus, Bess actually played just good enough to edge out Gibson, who is ranked 39th on the same list.
Despite the solid history with the Dolphins, the winds of change have been blowing in South Florida since Joe Philbin was hired to be their new coach early in 2012. Bess is a part of the old regime, and reportedly rubbed Philbin the wrong way when he shut down the final three games of the 2012 season with a back injury.
Bess is entering the last year of his contract, and a move to the Cleveland Browns could be fortuitous for him. The Browns need a solid slot receiver to play alongside of Gregg Little, and supplemental draft star Josh Gordon. With leverage from a surging rushing attack, the trio of receivers would get plenty of opportunity to make sophomore quarterback Branden Weeden look good in 2013.
It sounds like the deal would be for a mid-round draft pick, which would give the Dolphins 12 picks in all, possibly giving them more ammunition with which to enact a trade that would send them up the boards to select one of the premier left tackles.
Regardless of what they do with the pick, if the Dolphins are able to get this deal done, they will be saying goodbye to the only member of the 2012 leadership council that was left on the roster.
Jeff Everette is a Miami Dolphins writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on twitter @jeverettesports, “Like” his page on FaceBook, or add him to your network on Google+.
