Jon-Eric Sullivan hasn't been on the job for a full week yet, but Miami Dolphins fans are starting to see the picture he is painting. If he is a good artist, it might be the masterpiece Miami has been missing.
The Dolphins GM has yet to speak to the media officially, but he is doing in-house videos that are making their way to social media. While he has called for a much more diligent approach to free agency, it's his idea of what to do with his draft picks that is catching the eyes of fans.
Sullivan stressed the importance of building a roster from the draft. As he puts it, you set a standard from within that players will know from the start. When you build from the outside, you are bringing in other teams' standards that may not always align. Sullivan said the important thing is to keep the players you are developing.
Miami Dolphins GM just gave fans a "Hallelujah" moment with development talk
Sullivan said the plan is to "Draft and develop, and retain our own. We don't want a team full of mercenaries."
Under Grier, the Dolphins rarely kept players beyond their rookie deals. When they have decided to keep their own, they have often blown it. Austin Jackson and Tua Tagovailoa are prime examples of guys who shouldn't have been extended. Robert Hunt and Christian Wilkins are examples of players who probably should have.
Free agency is not the ideal approach to building a team. Sullivan said that while it is needed, he called it "dangerous waters."
New Dolphins GM Jon-Eric Sullivan
— Matt Infante (@MattInfante) January 18, 2026
"We're gonna draft and develop, and retain our own... We don't want a team full of mercenaries."
Also refers to free agency as "dangerous waters."
A breath of fresh air after a decade of Chris Grier. pic.twitter.com/qBaBHU6AEh
Grier's bigger problem was identifying the talent to begin with. Jackson has the talent, but can't stay healthy. Tagovailoa has the talent, but lacks confidence. In Green Bay, they typically identify the core players of the roster and get them under contract before they hit free agency. Again, something Grier was not often able to do.
If Sullivan can do what he claims needs to be done, he might actually have a fighting chance. Philosophically speaking, his direction is one that Green Bay has used for decades. It's one of the reasons why they have had continued success year after year. There are players on the roster for him to build from, but not as many as a team should have.
The Dolphins GM can talk the game, but once he dives into the roster, he will notice a lot of fluff with little substance. Before he can begin reshaping the team, he has to identify the players that don't belong in the system to begin with.