Chris Grier Is Clueless

Word got out yesterday that the Miami Dolphins and star cornerback Jalen Ramsey have mutually agreed to look for a trade. Dolphins General Manager Chris Grier confirmed it in his predraft press conference.

He didn’t explain why both sides mutually decided on a trade but insisted the Dolphins were not in a soft rebuild mode. He looked like Pinocchio, saying that only you couldn’t see his nose getting bigger. It’s a joke.

The Dolphins are in a soft rebuild, and you had to see this coming for over a year. Last year, the Dolphins only had six picks in the draft, were up against the cap, and lost some of their best defensive players in free agency due to poor mismanagement by Grier. Grier signed a bunch of older veterans to low-ball offers to try to cover up some of their losses, such as Christian Wilkins, Brandon Jones, Andrew Van Ginkel, and others. The plan blew up in Grier’s face.

This year, the Dolphins started the off-season with $10 million over the cap and haven’t been very active in free agency. They also lost Jevon Holland and Calais Campbell in free agency. Veteran left tackle Terron Armstead retired, and the Dolphins parted with veterans Raheem Mostert, Durham Smythe, and others.

The Dolphins have signed players to modest deals, but the real offseason will be in one week for the NFL draft, as the Dolphins enter the draft with 10 picks and are going to be doing a bulk of their work trying to get players to fill some of their needs.

The Dolphins will be counting on this draft class to produce, but with rookies comes growing pains with young players, so how can Grier say this isn’t a soft rebuild?

The Dolphins’ roster in 2023 had one of the most talented I can remember. They had a lot of talent on defense, and Vic Fangio, one of the best defensive minds, was running the defense.

The Dolphins started 9-3, were three games ahead in the AFC East, and had a chance at the number 1 seed, but the season crashed and burned in December as the team lost the lead in the AFC East and got embarrassed in the wild card round. The Dolphins’ defense now has only three starters left from that defense: Zach Sieler, Bradley Chubb, and Jalen Phillips. That’s assuming Ramsey isn’t on the roster come opening day.

That’s a lot of turnover for the defense in two years. You can make the case that the biggest need on this roster is on defense. Phillips and Chubb are still recovering from season-ending injuries, and we don’t know how they will look.

Sieler is the one constant, and he is coming off back-to-back 10-sack seasons and is just turning 30 years old. The Dolphins need to find some younger players and more depth as they have major questions at defensive tackle behind Seiler, cornerback, and safety. How can Grier say it’s not a soft rebuild, especially on defense, as the faces have changed?

On offense, the Dolphins had one of the most explosive offenses in 2022 and 2023, but defenses adjusted in 2024, and the Dolphins didn’t make the proper adjustments. On top of that, the Dolphins’ offense only played well against average to below-average opponents while struggling against better competition.

Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa missed time again with injury after playing his first full season as a football player in 2023. He’s good when on the field, but his availability is a question, and the Dolphins didn’t have a backup quarterback, so they turned to a former number 2 pick bust from 2021 in Zach Wilson, really?

The Dolphins have good speed backs in DeVon Achane and Jaylen Wright but don’t have a physical runner. The wide receivers, Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle, are game-breakers, but they don’t have a more physical presence at the position. The Dolphins don’t have anyone at tight end outside of Jonnu Smith, and he has only one year left on his contract.

The offensive line is in a reset mode, especially at the guard position, as they haven’t found anyone to constantly beat opposing defenses around, so they get a soft label. Patrick Paul is talented, but is he ready to take over as the full-time starter? Can Austin Jackson stay healthy? Again, too many questions.

Grier also looks bad because he gave Hill and Ramsey new contracts last year before the season, and now both want out. What is that about? Grier says he’s not trading Hill unless you offer two first-round picks.

Who in their right mind would offer one, let alone two? He’s not getting anything for Hill with all of the turmoil that comes with him. Ramsey, I don’t know what the story is and probably never will, but it’s another bad look in a long list under Grier’s watch to give two of your top players contracts and, a year later, request to be traded.

Grier says he has a roster that can win? What planet are you on?

The Dolphins are going through a soft rebuild, especially on defense, and this happens because of the salary cap; teams can’t pay all their players. The Kansas City Chiefs, Baltimore Ravens, Philadelphia Eagles, and Buffalo Bills have done this, but the difference is that those teams manage their rosters better while Grier hasn’t.

He gives big contracts to free agent Byron Jones and new deals to Hill and Ramsey, but because of this, he mismanages the cap and lets his top players, such as Wilkins, Van Ginkel, and others, leave as free agents. Grier won’t admit his mistakes, but he can’t be in denial. This team is going through a soft rebuild.

Heck, owner Steph Ross has already kicked the can down the road for another rebuild by bringing back Grier and head coach Mike McDaniel when everyone saw what was wrong with the team, but him. If Grier had managed the roster better with his younger players and worked on extending them better, maybe this team wouldn’t be in this position.

Grier shouldn’t just come out and say he has failed in this rebuild and due to his incompetence, the team is starting a soft rebuild rather than looking like a jackass and saying this team can win when they aren’t ready.