The Miami Dolphins haven’t just had a coaching problem over the past decade, nor have their issues fallen exclusively at the feet of talent. No, the men charged with making the picks of who should be a Miami Dolphin have had their share of missteps and blunders, too. Miami’s current general manager, Chris Grier, is on the upswing, however. His teardown of the Dolphins was ambitious, and we’ve now suddenly come out the other side with optimism for 2020 season. How does Grier stack up against his colleagues in the NFL?
Rotoworld ranked the NFL’s general managers and Miami Dolphins GM Chris Grier checked in 18th overall — in the middle of the pack and in a far better place than you’d have expected to see after last year’s teardown.
“That sound you heard was a window opening earlier than expected. Just one year after gutting the roster and selling the frame for scraps, Chris Grier decided to beef it back up, cashing in six top-70 picks and spending like a wild man in free agency. The open market is not where championship teams are built, but the stakes were low for the Dolphins, who needed to splurge just to reach the salary cap floor. Even after inking Byron Jones, Kyle Van Noy, Shaq Lawson and Ereck Flowers — amongst many others — the Dolphins entered late July with $20.7 million on hand, the eighth most in the league. None of those additions complicate Grier’s long-term goal of returning the Dolphins to relevancy. The draft is where he placed his big bet, No. 5 overall pick Tua Tagovailoa. Openly coveted by the Dolphins for two years, Tagovailoa would have been a contender for the top selection if not for his serious hip injury. There’s a chance Grier landed his quarterback of the future at a deep discount. If not, it won’t be a franchise-crippling mistake thanks to Grier’s unprecedented picks cache. We are likely still a ways away from the result, but Grier’s process has been sound.” — Pat Daugherty, Rotoworld
Grier ranking in at No. 18 overall checks him in ahead of Denver Broncos GM John Elway, the Cincinnati Bengals leadership, Mike Mayock in Las Vegas, Arizona’s Steve Keim and others — respectable standing that should see Grier continue to climb up the ranks if his Dolphins continue to overachieve and create a new normal in South Florida that pits the Dolphins in the postseason for several season.
In the meantime, there will be continuous skepticism about Grier’s team building efforts due to the failures and shortcomings of the Dolphins while Grier held the title of general manager underneath the operations of VP of football ops Mike Tannenbaum. Regardless, Grier’s early returns flying solo are a promising omen for better days ahead.