Now that the first wave of free agency is pretty much over, what did Chris Grier do for the Miami Dolphins? Well, he made some quiet and solid moves. As usual, fans were disappointed that he did not go after any of the top names in free agency (such as Russell Wilson and Marcus Mariota).

In the past, Miami has gone after those “bright and shiny things” in free agency, and most times, it doesn’t pan out. Odell Beckham is the last example of this. Grier showed discipline (though cap restrictions played a factor as well) and went for players within his budget. Yes, most of them are depth signings, but a few will contribute right out of the gate.

The first player to come to Miami was Zack Wilson. The second overall pick for the Jets was a bust for them. He comes to the Dolphins from the Broncos. He has a better arm than Skylar Thompson, and the hope is Mike McDaniel can work some of his magic with this former first-rounder. He should be an improvement over last years back ups.

At the end of the season, both Grier and McDaniel promised that the offensive line would be a priority moving forward. The next player Grier went after was guard James Daniels. He was ranked as the 4th or 5th best guard in free agency. Yes, he is coming off a season-ending Achilles injury, but this was still a great signing. He will be starting at guard and is great in pass protection. Though he is not known for run blocking, he still fills an important need.

With Javon Holland now gone, enter Ashytn Davis from the Jets. His PFF rating is 71, 42nd among safeties, and he is solid in coverage and tackling. The team had many issues with tackling in 2024. At 2.5 million, this was a solid signing for Grier.

The next player who will likely see a lot of playtime is wide receiver Nick Westbrook Ikhine. He is a bit taller at 6 feet 2 inches than Tyreek Hill or Jalen Waddle. He can compete for the number three receiver and should be a great option for Tua on the field.

The rest of free agency selections are nonstarters. Ifeatu Melifonwu, Larry Borom, Alexander Mattison, KJ Britt, and the rest will have limited roles in 2025. The team also resigned Tyrel Dodson and Liam Eichenberg.  While there are still a few players left in free agency, the Dolphins are quite likely done.

So, the team was not featured on any sports channels for their free agency moves this year. However, they certainly improved in areas that are critical for the upcoming season. Grier and McDaniel are quite likely fighting for their jobs at this point. With eleven selections coming up in the draft, they can fill in the rest of the holes quite nicely.

Overall, fans should be pleased with these quiet moves.

 

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