DAVIE, Fla. The Dolphins and Texans have agreed on a starting lineup, with Miami sending Shaq Lawson to Houston and receiving Benardrick McKinney in return, sources told ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
The teams also exchange late-round picks. Miami is broadcasting a sixth round of 2021 and receiving a seventh round of 2021, sources told ESPN.
The trade can only be made official at the start of the league year, which starts on Wednesday at 16:00 ET.
The Dolphins have long admired McKinney, who should move in as a starting line-up against Jerome Baker and fill a void left by the release of Kyle Van Noy and the pending free departure of Kamu Grugier-Hill and Elandon Roberts. The Texans get an upgrade through the acquisition of Lawson, who had four pockets last season when he played outside the lineout ball and is a tough, reliable defender.
The move comes after Houston signed linebacker Christian Kirksey for a one-year deal worth up to $ 4.5 million. McKinney, who signed a five-year, $ 50 million contract in 2018, has no guaranteed money left in the last three years of his contract. In 2021, he will pay $ 7.2 million.
McKinney, a Pro Bowler in 2018, played only four games in 2020 before undergoing shoulder surgery.
In 2020, Houston’s Zach Cunningham signed a $ 58 million four-year contract. Before the Texans traded McKinney, the pair would merge into more than 10.5% of the Texans’ total capital in 2021.
Lawson signed a three-year, $ 30 million deal with Miami in March, and is now the second major free agent to separate the Dolphins after one season and join Van Noy. Lawson, who will earn $ 8.5 million in 2021, did not deliver the pass production the team had hoped for in his one year in Miami.
The Dolphins fill their hole in the inside of the lineout, while creating a larger hole on the edge ruser, where only Emmanuel Ogbah and Andrew Van Ginkel remain as major contributors. This may indicate Miami’s expectation to be active in the position as a free agency.
ESPN’s Sarah Barshop contributed to this report.