Miami Dolphins GM Dennis Hickey

When Dennis Hickey was hired in early 2014, Miami Dolphins fans were eager to move on from former general manager Jeff Ireland’s reign.

Ireland made some head scratching decisions from the acquisition and eventual trade of Brandon Marshall, to some really bad drafts, to his infamous question to Dez Bryant.

However, flashing forward by nearly a year and a half, Hickey has two drafts and free agency periods under his belt. The Dolphins GM seems intent on correcting Ireland’s mistakes and in the process has made some sound decisions while making other questionable choices.

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To truly evaluate Hickey, one has to rely heavily on the idea that he is truly the one calling the shots. With Stephen Ross as the owner, Joe Philbin as the head coach, and Mike Tannenbaum hired as the executive vice president of football operations it’s easy to question whether these decisions are Hickey’s or if he is being strongly influenced by a combination of those three.

The Dolphins’ brass has stressed Hickey carries the final say over drafting and the 53-man roster. Those two aspects will be at the very heart of this evaluation, but there are some caveats to reviewing a GM only a little over a year into his tenure.

One, Hickey hasn’t been in charge for all that long. Some draft picks and transactions have worked immediately, but some have not. So it’s unfair to hammer him if a pick, let’s say an Arthur Lynch or Billy Turner, hasn’t worked out right away because they still very well could.

Two, the particulars in some positives and negatives may not exactly be his fault. For example, drafting well or poorly reflects the scouting more than it could the GM. While contract and cap numbers may reflect more on Tannenbaum than Hickey. Nonetheless, Hickey will be judged by his choices and their consequences.

“I already see Hickey as a steady improvement over Ireland.”

Hickey’s actions as GM resemble more of a plan in action than Ireland’s. While Ireland made moves almost with a disregard for their consequences, Hickey seems to be more methodical in his decision making. In that regard, I already see Hickey as a steady improvement over Ireland.

Tomorrow, we’ll begin Hickey’s review with some of his better moves. Then we’ll wrap things up with a post about his more questionable decisions the next day.

Tell us how you feel about Hickey’s time as GM so far. Think he’s got the Dolphins on the right track? Are you pining for Ireland? Let us know in the comment section below.