The New England Patriots traded offensive lineman Caedan Wallace and a 2029 seventh-round pick to the Miami Dolphins in exchange for a 2028 sixth-round pick
Caedan Wallace has been traded by the Patriots to the Dolphins
Caedan Wallace has been traded by the Patriots to the Dolphins(Image: Getty Images)
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Caedan Wallace endured a rollercoaster of emotions after the offensive lineman was nearly released by the Patriots before being traded to a division rival.
On Monday, reports began circulating that the Patriots planned on releasing Wallace, who heaped praise on Ann Michael Maye’s baking while speaking to Mirror U.S. Sports back in February. Yet his release was never formally confirmed, giving New England a brief window to explore a possible trade involving the 26-year-old.
Sure enough, the Dolphins swooped in to acquire Wallace’s talents via an unusual intra-division trade. Miami sent a 2028 sixth-round pick to New England in exchange for the Penn State product and a 2029 seventh-round pick.
Between 2019 and 2023, Wallace appeared in 47 games for the Nittany Lions while making 40 starts at right tackle.
Since being selected by the Patriots with the No. 68 overall pick in the third round of the 2024 NFL Draft, however, Wallace has struggled to find his footing at the professional level.
Over two seasons with New England, he appeared in 10 games and made two starts — one at left tackle and the other as a sixth offensive lineman.
Following an underwhelming rookie campaign in which Wallace was forced to miss 11 games due to an ankle injury, the Patriots experimented with moving him from tackle to left guard in an effort to get the most out of his abilities.
Caedan Wallace made 10 appearances for the Patriots, two of which were starts
Caedan Wallace made 10 appearances for the Patriots, two of which were starts(Image: Getty Images)
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“Big, strong, powerful kid,” Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel told reporters during training camp last July. “And just looking to put everybody in an opportunity for them to excel and a place to compete, which he's done.
“I would say that he's been headed in the right direction these last couple days since we put pads on. I think he's gotten more comfortable.
"I think he's — they all have — everybody's going to make mistakes, but I think that there's been a lot of really positive plays and then continue to move forward.”
Wallace, for one, welcomed the challenge of transitioning to a new position with open arms. “I actually like guard, a lot,” he said at the time. “It’s different, and different’s always fun for me. I’m just learning new stuff every day, and it’s really fun. It’s really, really fun.”
While Wallace enjoyed trying his hand at guard, he admitted that the position came with a steep learning curve. “It really is little stuff every day that I’m picking up on,” he explained.
“The lateral movement stuff did get me early on, and also just the quickness stuff. When I’m at tackle, I set three, four times and I’m not even touching the dude yet.
“At guard, you’re taking a set and you may get your foot down before the dude’s there. So, little stuff like that with the timing has been the thing I’ve focused on the most.”