5 reasons Chris Grier is fully responsible for the mess the Dolphins are in

It's frustrating to watch the same things over and over again not work
Miami Dolphins Introduce Mike McDaniel
Miami Dolphins Introduce Mike McDaniel / Joel Auerbach/GettyImages
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Chris Grier should be on the hot seat. As far as anyone knows, he is not. Stephen Ross is getting too old to make more changes despite the fact he needs to. Sorry, but Grier is not a good general manager. The Miami Dolphins need better.

There is a laundry list of reasons that Grier is failing. We are going to look at some of those in this piece. While fans love the "oohs and ahhs" of his trading habits, it becomes a sticking point when the annual carousel from year to year doesn't fix positions like backup quarterback or the offensive line.

What makes things even worse is seeing other teams find success with backup quarterbacks, first-time head coaches, and the ultimate insult, success by teams who started their rebuild after the Dolphins did. For two years the Dolphins made the playoffs, but what has been plaguing the team from taking the next step is on full display in 2024. It finally is coming back to prove that Grier has been wrong this entire time:

5. The Dolphins' failure to find a suitable backup quarterback

The long-term investment in Tua Tagovailoa is not a problem - it had to be done. Whether it is a success or a failure will be known over the life of his contract, but the Dolphins have invested nothing in protecting their franchise by getting someone who can play behind him.

Skylar Thompson, Mike White, Tyler Huntley, and Tim Boyle have only shown that they are far from being capable of providing quality insurance. Meanwhile, Dolphins fans watch as other teams find success with their backups. Grier has been cheap and has become a snake-oil salesman trying to sell how much faith they have in who they sign. It hasn't worked out like they want us to believe.

4. The OL issues continue to be a nightmare

The Dolphins' offensive line is good enough to run block, but when it comes to pass protection, they are not very good at all. Tua masks a lot of their deficiencies by releasing the ball quickly, but as they are finding out, when Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle are covered, the quarterback needs more time than the line can give them.

Grier laughed off the mention of improving the interior positions and this continues to be a problem that he is simply too blind to see. He isn't going to publicly say he was wrong, but each year he sticks with the notion that he can win this way. This year, he can't.

3. Mike McDaniel is just another "yes-man" head coach Grier can control

This is an opinion, but Grier hired Adam Gase, who was a first-time HC. He wasn't a good coach, but as soon as he started pushing back on Grier for personnel problems, Ross fired him. Grier and Gase got into a heated conversation shortly before the coach was fired.

Brian Flores was brought on board and again, he was another first-time head coach who could be controlled. The problem was Flores is an old-school coach who demands accountability from the players, coaches, and executives. That relationship went south really quickly and after his third year, he and Grier did not see eye-to-eye and Flores was fired.

Now, here we are with another first-time head coach. Mike McDaniel, previously the OC for the 49ers, was given his first chance to run his own team in Miami. He is 100 percent a "yes-man" who Grier can control. As we watch fundamental coaching fail with McDaniel, Grier is not making any changes, like, say, play-calling. McDaniel should be fuming over the backup quarterback situation and the offensive line play. In San Francisco, the 49ers had a good line and built around it. Instead, Grier dangles carrots like Odell Beckham Jr. and Hill in front of everyone.

2. The Dolphins have too many one-year deals on the roster

When you overpay a player, you have to underpay somewhere else. When you give free money to players already being paid a lot, you have to find a way to get the money. For Grier, it's his annual one-year deals that make up the bulk of the depth chart. His desire to find cheap players to fill backup roles eventually costs you guys like Raekwon Davis and Andrew Van Ginkel.

Miami could have kept AVG, but they spent their money on guys like Shaquil Barrett, who retired before getting to training camp. The Dolphins will have 38 players under contract for 2025 - 15 will be free agents and 28 players are under contract at least through the 2026 season, but that number also includes players like Bradley Chubb and Terron Armstead who will probably not be around.

One-year deals are necessary to fill rosters, but those players typically are further down the depth chart, so when you need them, they are not typically the best options. This is why many teams hit the FA list to find better options.

1. Chris Grier's inability to retain key players is problematic

The Dolphins have a history of letting good players leave in free agency because Miami doesn't want to pay a premium. There will always be players like Robert Hunt and Christian Wilkins that break the bank, but Grier never should have let them hit the market to begin with. Wilkins could have been given a new deal in 2022, but instead Grier played hard ball.

Van Ginkel is another great example of Grier being cheap. AVG's deal was easily absorbable and filled a glaring need on the defensive side of the ball. He chose wrong. Of course, the biggest problem is that Grier's drafts leave a lot to be desired. Cam Smith continues to look like a bust simply because he can't get on the field. The Dolphins could have solved an interior line issue with that selection instead.

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