The Miami Dolphins have a problem. A big problem. Making that problem worse is the fact the Dolphins don't have a solution for it. Or a way to solve it.
By now, everyone knows Jalen Ramsey wants out of Miami. The Dolphins and Ramsey have agreed that it is in each other's best interest to seek a trade. That isn't the problem. That's the icing on a broken, bitter, unsweetened cake.
For years, we have been told we are more concerned with various problems on the roster. The offensive line? We are more concerned than they are. So on and so on. There is a real problem in Miami, and it's Chris Grier and Mike McDaniel. It's Stephen Ross.
On Tuesday, Grier told the media that Ramsey wasn't looking for more money. Said he wasn't going to discuss whether the matter was related to playing time. For all intents and purposes, the issues with Ramsey wanting out has nothing to do with the coaching staff, the scheme, or more money in his pocket, something, by the way, the Dolphins freely gave him last year.
No, there is something else that is making Ramsey upset. If you elminate everything else, the only thing left is that this organization is going absolutely no where and he wants nothing to do with it. There is no winning culture in Miami.
The Dolphins thought it would be great to rebuild their team and image into a South Florida variation of the Patriots. That's why they hired Brian Flores and brought in former Patriots executive Anne Nolan. It didn't work. The players were too soft to handle the no-nonsense Flores.
So, instead of getting tougher-minded players, they got rid of the coach and replaced him with one of the weakest-minded people (but loved by players) they could find.
It didn't build a culture. Grier said in his press conference that he has given in too much to his coaches instead of sticking to his own convictions, but it has been his decisions that have molded the offensive line and resulted in letting Hunt, Andrew Van Ginkel, and others leave.
It is Grier who stood at a podium and couldn't mention one single leader on his football team aside from Zach Sieler.
Jalen Ramsey wanting to leave the Miami Dolphins only a hint at bigger problems
To put it plainly, Grier doesn't know how to fix this. He has overpaid big names like Ramsey, Tyreek Hill, and Bradley Chubb. He sunk millions more into a quarterback who has a real injury history that should have been taken into account.
He continues to build his offseason roster with players who are willing to play on one-year contracts. Last year, he had 24 in-house free agents, most of them also coming off one-year deals. It's a cycle that doesn't work. There is no continuity.
For a decade, the offensive line has been overlooked. When Grier finally found a lineman worth keeping, he let Robert Hunt go, figuring an undrafted rookie could replace him. Somewhere, the wheels on the bus continue to go round and round.
The Dolphins were built for a run in 2025, but that run ended last season. Now, this team is heading toward a massive rebuild again in 2026 or 2027. The question is whether or not Grier will be running the show.
It seems as though this may be his last season, but if that is the case, Champ Kelly could be the next to take over, and he has never been a GM at any level. Again, the "Wheels on the Bus."
On Tuesday, Grier looked almost resigned to the fact that his team is going to be bad and he can't fix it. His mistakes over the years have finally caught up with him, and now, he has no one to blame but the guy in the mirror. It isn't going to get better with a bunch of draft picks either.
The only hope for a turnaround is for Grier to leave the Dolphins completely, forcing Ross to hire someone from the outside who has a history of building football teams.