For about four hours on Monday, Caedan Wallace's Patriots career looked like it was ending the quiet way: a waiver-wire release, a former 3rd-rounder cut loose to find work wherever he could. That's not how it went down.
Jordan Schultz first reported New England was releasing the offensive tackle, sending him to waivers for what he called a 'fresh start.' Wallace, 26, was New England's 3rd-round pick out of Penn State back in 2024 — a big body at 6-foot-5, 320 pounds who started just twice in two seasons, both times at left tackle, once against the Jets in 2024 and once against Buffalo in January. The line in front of him got crowded fast, with the Patriots building around Drake Maye with names like Will Campbell, Morgan Moses, Mike Onwenu and Alijah Vera-Tucker soaking up snaps.
Before the release could actually get processed, the Dolphins jumped the line. Miami called, and instead of Wallace hitting the open market, the Patriots turned it into a trade — with an AFC East rival, no less.
It's an unusual sequence: a team announces it's cutting a guy, then a division rival swoops in before waivers even open. Schultz called it a 'fresh start Caedan Wallace in Miami' — same framing, new zip code, and notably one that keeps him inside the AFC East rather than sending him elsewhere.
The compensation ended up modest but not nothing. Per Schultz, the Dolphins get Wallace and a 2029 7th-round pick, while the Patriots get back a 2028 6th-round pick — essentially New England flipping a player it was about to release for free into a mid-round asset four years out. Adam Schefter confirmed the terms once the trade became official.
Patriots announced that they have traded OL Caedan Wallace to the Miami Dolphins along with a 2029 seventh-round draft pick in exchange for a 2028 sixth-round draft pick.
For the Patriots, it's a low-cost cleanup move on a suddenly deep offensive line. For Miami, it's a low-risk flyer on a former 3rd-rounder with size and Big Ten pedigree who never got a real shot to start. Whether Wallace can carve out a role in Miami's trenches will say more about this trade than the pick swap ever will.