National Football League

Stills to Dolphins from Saints for Ellerbe and draft pick

Published Mar. 13, 2015 2:53 p.m. ET

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MIAMI (AP) With two trades Friday, the Miami Dolphins swapped receivers: Kenny Stills for Mike Wallace.

First the Dolphins obtained Stills from the New Orleans Saints for veteran linebacker Dannell Ellerbe and a 2015 third-round draft pick. The deal made the disgruntled Wallace expendable, and Miami later traded him and a seventh-round draft pick to Minnesota for a fifth-round draft pick.

Stills started only six games last year but had 63 receptions for 931 yards and three touchdowns. Miami had little cap space after signing defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh to a $114 million deal this week, and Stills is a relative bargain because he's due to make only $585,000 this year.

Miami freed up even more space by trading Wallace, who was due to make $9 million this year. He led the team with 10 touchdowns in 2014, but feuded with the coaching staff.

Ellerbe, a six-year veteran, played in only one game last season due to a hip injury, and he was a target to be released by Miami before the trade. He was due to make $8.4 million this season in the third year of a five-year deal, but agreed to a restructuring of his contract with New Orleans.

Ellerbe signed with the Dolphins in 2013 when Jeff Ireland was their general manager. Ireland now oversees college scouting for the Saints.

''Super excited bout joining my new team!!!'' Ellerbe tweeted. ''Can't wait to ball this year!!!''

Stills, who is only 22, shores up a position depleted in recent weeks with Miami's release of Brian Hartline, Brandon Gibson and now Wallace.

Stills, who has blossomed after being drafted in the fifth round in 2013, provides a deep threat that might make Wallace expendable. The speedy Stills, whose father and uncle also played in the NFL, had just 32 catches as a rookie in 2013, but averaged 20 yards per receptions and scored five times.

''Oh my boy (at)KSTiLLS ... It's a movie every Sunday,'' new Miami teammate Jarvis Landry tweeted.

The Dolphins, trying to end a six-year playoff drought, added another target for Ryan Tannehill on Thursday when they signed tight end Jordan Cameron.

There had been speculation Wallace would be traded or even released ever since coach Joe Philbin benched him in the second half of the final game last season after an argument between the receiver and coaches. Wallace rarely clicked with Tannehill on deep passes and was unhappy not to be targeted more.

The Saints, 7-9 last year, have been not only shuffling their roster but also stockpiling draft choices. With the pick from Miami, the Saints have two picks in the first round, one in the second, two in the third, two in the fifth and one each in the sixth and seventh, giving them nine overall.

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AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and http://twitter.com/AP-NFL

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AP Sports Writer Brett Martel in New Orleans contributed to this report.

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Follow Steven Wine on Twitter: http://twitter.com/Steve-Wine