Fish/Broncos Trade 1st Picks

The Miami Dolphins and Denver Broncos swapped their 1998 first-round draft choices Tuesday, with receiver Marcus Nash going to Miami in exchange for running back John Avery.

Nash started in Denver's loss Sunday to the Kansas City Chiefs but had no catches. He caught just four passes as a rookie for 76 yards.

Avery rushed for 503 yards last year but fell out of favor with coach Jimmy Johnson. This year Avery slipped behind Karim Abdul-Jabbar and rookies Cecil Collins and J.J. Johnson on the depth chart, and he was inactive for Sunday's victory over Arizona.

"Because of the number of running backs we have, John just didn't fit in here," coach Johnson said. "Hopefully he'll be a more consistent performer with the Broncos."

Nash is unlikely to get much playing time this season with the Dolphins, who are deep at receiver.

"Marcus is a talented player," Johnson said. "We'll give him the opportunity to work things out here."

Avery was the 29th pick in the 1998 draft, and Nash was taken 30th.

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