Dolphins make trade but not the one you think

The Dolphins tonight acquired linebacker Akin Ayodele and tight end Anthony Fasano from the Cowboys for a fourth-round draft pick. The Dolphins are scheduled to have seven picks Saturday after giving selection No. 100 to Jerry Jones and Co.

Ayodele became expendable in Dallas when the Cowboys upgraded by signing, you got it, Zach Thomas. Fasano, a second round pick in 2006, had been lost behind Jason Witten. He will be able to compete with David Martin for a starting job in Miami which basically means he will be the starter in Miami.

It's a good deal as Ayodele is a pretty fair player with plenty of experience, yet young enough to get better. Fasano is merely so-so, having not yet lived up to his draft pedigree, but the Dolphins have very little at that position now anyway.

The trade was first reported by the Dallas Morning News.

Not the trade news you expected for Saturday, right?

Well, relax. There will be plenty of Jason Taylor trade drama Saturday. Much.

Travolta, I mean Taylor, has requested through his agent to be traded. Actually, a request is kind of soft. He pretty much has demanded a trade. That is the primary reason Miami general manager Jeff Irleand has been calling teams during the past week, shopping Taylor (pictured).

The most interested teams -- and thus most likely to make a trade for Taylor if one happens at all -- are Philadelphia, Jacksonville, Tampa Bay, Dallas, Washington and Denver.

But there are problems: The Dolphins want a first-round pick for Taylor because they rightly argue that consistent right defensive ends -- the guys who go up against premier left tackles -- are in short supply.

They argue Taylor is one of only 15 players in the league that had double-digit sacks last year. They argue he has had no drop in production despite his advancing age.

And so they want a first round draft pick. Firm.

But as of this writing, no one is willing to make that deal, particularly considering Taylor is 33 years old and his desire to enter show business is not a secret around league circles. Remember that I reported Tuesday the Dolphins were firmly saying they are not trading Taylor? Don't take that necessarily as, "He's not on the market." He obviously is. Take it as, "We know what we want, we know what is being offered. It ain't happening."

It also isn't helping Miami's cause that Oakland is apparently shopping defensive end Derrick Burgess, who had eight sacks last season. Burgess is not as good as Taylor. But the Raiders aren't expecting a first round pick, either.

So we shall see what happens Saturday. But to assume this will pass into the night after Saturday is to forget my theory about the Dolphins: They are a circus.

The Dolphins don't lose if they don't trade Taylor this weekend. They can keep him for now and still can trade him before the October trade deadline for a 2009 first round pick. In fact, the market for a 2009 pick might be better than it is for a 2008 pick.

Also, if the Dolphins don't trade Taylor, they still win because they keep what is by all accounts a good player. And isn't stockpiling good players a goal in the NFL?

I would, nonetheless, tell you there is a definite drawback to keeping Taylor.

He definitely wants out. Very badly, in fact. And it remains unclear what he might resort to if he doesn't get his way.

If that sounds serious, it's because it is serious. It is more serious than those days when Taylor didn't like Nick Saban initially. It is more serious than when he didn't like Cam Cameron for not deferring to him.

Today Jason Taylor is a man who feels personally insulted by the Dolphins. That is a result of an incident last week when he visited the team while on break from his dancing. During that visit Taylor was treated coldly by both coach Tony Sparano and Bill Parcells. So now he apparently feels disrespected.

And that brush-off could lead to Taylor's send-off.

The Dolphins argue they're not thrilled about Taylor spending his spring dancing. They might say, "What did Taylor want us to do during his visit? Applaud that he has blown off the offseason work other players are doing?"

Taylor might counter he's always in shape and will remain that way regardless of whether he's dancing or lifting weights with the rest of his teammates. He might more vehmently and rightfully argue, "At least treat me like a man who has earned your respect over an 11-year career."

What there can be no argument about is that this is a broken situation.

And that means Taylor might have agent Gary Wichard turn up the public heat on Miami if a trade isn't made this weekend. It's not what Wichard, a classy agent, wants to do.

But it wouldn't surprise me one bit if we've not heard the last of this drama.

[I will be blogging live on Saturday once something important happens for the Dolphins. I figure I'll be on here around 5 p.m. So join me here then. Meanwhile, I'll be on 790 The Ticket from 1-3 p.m. if you need to insult me earlier than usual.]