There are times when Miami Dolphins general manager Chris Grier does his job like he is playing an edition of the "Madden" video game, and there are other times he is just maddening.
For years, Dolphins fans and members of the media have pointed out how bad the offensive line is. Grier was always quick to point out that we were more worried about the unit than the Dolphins were. Finally, the clarity of reality came shining through, and he had no choice but to address the situation.
Through those years, we all watched him overpay the wrong players to hold down the secondary. While Xavien Howard was great for a few years, his negative cap hit is still on the books. Jalen Ramsey, Howard, Kendall Fuller, and Byron Jones were all paid exceptionally well, at the cost of the offensive line (and now they are all gone).
This year, Grier made an attempt to fix the offensive line. Maybe he gets it right this time, but it will come at the expense of his secondary. If ever there was a time to say, "Here we go again," this is it.
Grier seems to believe the Dolphins' secondary is fine. He spent draft capital on defensive tackle, using three of his seven picks on the position while trading a third and fourth-round draft pick to move up, hoping to solve that offensive line issue.
Miami Dolphins GM Chris Grier is once again hoping to be the smartest man in the room
With training camp already underway for rookies, Grier has not addressed the cornerback position, and it is becoming increasingly likely to be the killer this year.
It's hard to stay positive when the starting boundary corners are slated to be one of Artie Burns (who can't stay healthy), Storm Duck (an undrafted second-year player), Cam Smith (close to being a bust), and Ethan Bonner (has promise).
The Dolphins got cheap this year financially. They opted not to give out new money to guys like Jonnu Smith and have yet to give any to Zach Sieler, but they also haven't given any to a free agent veteran corner.
The Dolphins are probably going to struggle this year. They should still get off to a fast start given their schedule, but the latter half of the season is going to be brutal, and if they can't fix the cornerback unit, or to be more positive, it doesn't work out the way they envision, the Dolphins are going to be floating into the offseason early.