DAVIE, Florida – The Dolphins and Texans have agreed to an exchange of starting defenders, with Miami sending Shaq Lawson to Houston and receiving Benardrick McKinney in return, sources for ESPN’s Adam Schefter said.
Teams also change late round options in the business. Miami is sending a selection from the sixth round of 2021 and is receiving back a choice from the seventh round of 2021, sources told ESPN.
The transaction cannot be formalized until the beginning of the league year, which starts on Wednesday at 16:00 ET.
The Dolphins have long admired McKinney, who should slip as a defender in front of Jerome Baker and fill a vacancy with the release of Kyle Van Noy and the free agency departures of Kamu Grugier-Hill and Elandon Roberts. The Texans get an upgrade to Edge Rush by acquiring Lawson, who had four sacks last season while playing in front of the defensive line and is a tough and reliable defender.
The move comes after Houston signed linebacker Christian Kirksey to a one-year deal worth up to $ 4.5 million. McKinney, who signed a five-year contract worth $ 50 million in 2018, no longer had money guaranteed in the last three years of his contract. He is expected to receive $ 7.2 million in 2021.
McKinney, Pro Bowler in 2018, played in just four games in 2020 before undergoing shoulder surgery.
In 2020, Houston signed defender Zach Cunningham for a four-year, $ 58 million contract. Before the Texans traded McKinney, the pair was to combine for more than 10.5% of the total Texan limit in 2021.
Lawson signed a three-year, $ 30 million contract with Miami in March last year, and is now the second significant multi-year free agent to sign the Dolphins after a season, joining Van Noy. Lawson, who is set to earn $ 8.5 million in 2021, did not really deliver the press production the team hoped for in a year in Miami.
The Dolphins fill their gap inside the sideline while creating a bigger hole on board, where only Emmanuel Ogbah and Andrew Van Ginkel remain key contributors. This could signal Miami’s expectations of being active in this position in the free agency.
Sarah Barshop of ESPN contributed to this report.