Dolphins acquiring LB Benardrick McKinney from Texans

March 14 (UPI) -- The Miami Dolphins are acquiring Pro Bowl linebacker Benardrick McKinney in a trade with the Houston Texans.

League sources told ESPN and NFL Media on Sunday that Miami is sending outside linebacker Shaq Lawson to the Texans in exchange for McKinney. According to the outlets, the teams also are swapping late-round draft picks in the deal. The Dolphins are giving a 2021 sixth-round pick and receiving a 2021 seventh-rounder.

The trade can't become official until the start of the NFL's new league year, which begins Wednesday at 4 p.m. EDT.

McKinney, who was taken in the second round of the 2015 draft, is expected to slot in as a starting inside linebacker opposite Jerome Baker in 2021. The Dolphins had a need at the position after releasing Kyle Van Noy earlier this month. The team also could lose Kamu Grugier-Hill and Elandon Roberts in free agency.

The 28-year-old McKinney, a Pro Bowl selection in 2018, played in only four games last season before having shoulder surgery. He finished with 37 total tackles and one pass defensed.

Lawson, 26, appeared in 14 games for the Dolphins last season, his first in Miami. He notched 32 tackles, four sacks, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery and a pass breakup.

Lawson, a first-round pick in the 2016 draft out of Clemson, spent his first four seasons with the Buffalo Bills. He has recorded 20.5 career sacks in 64 games.