Jon-Eric Sullivan's tenure as the Miami Dolphins' general manager will be evaluated on a rolling basis. It's fair to acknowledge the near-impossible scenario he inherited while still analyzing the moves he made (and didn't) to get a feel for his performance so far. To be clear, no one is advocating for a change — consider this a performance review that, well, no one asked for.
On offense, the Dolphins have been particularly awful. They've scored the 31st-most points, gained the 28th-most yards, and are, as you might know, winless. In this piece, we're going to identify Sullivan's three best decisions and three worst decisions as they relate exclusively to the offensive side of the ball through five weeks on the job.
Win No. 1: Selecting Kadyn Proctor with the Miami Dolphins' first-round pick
The decision to grab Proctor was met with a lot of skepticism, particularly with safety Caleb Downs and EDGE Reuben Bain Jr. on the board. Proctor nonetheless put his head down and got to work. Proctor is the eighth-highest-graded rookie offensive lineman this season.
What's more, according to Joe Schad of the Palm Beach Post, Miami rush attempts behind Proctor are gaining 6.0 yards per carry. Proctor and left tackle Patrick Paul have the makings of a decade-long partnership holding down the left side of the offensive line. It's always hard to avoid a splashier position, but Sullivan stuck to his guns about wanting to build from the inside out.
So far, Proctor is proving him right.
Blunder No. 1: Signing Malik Willis to a $67.5 million contract with $45 million guaranteed
It's obviously still early, and I haven't given up hope on Willis yet. Still, the decision to hand him a hefty contract has proven to be regrettable — at least through five games. The return on investment simply hasn't been there. Willis is PFF's 38th-ranked quarterback out of 40 qualifiers this season.
His struggles have been clear. From holding onto the ball too long to refusing to take wide-open throws that are available to him to, perhaps worst of all, being wildly inaccurate, Willis has been a disappointment. Making matters worse, there were far cheaper options that have outplayed him.
Former Dolphins backup Tyler Huntley (PFF's #9 QB, $2.5M), Marcus Mariota (#25, $7M), and Carson Wentz (#28, $3M) were all available for a fraction of the cost and would've most likely provided similar results. Regardless, the thinking with Willis was clear. He's young and still wet behind the ears in terms of actual playing experience. Hopefully he turns things around after disconnecting over the bye week.
Win No. 2: Not throwing out perfectly good players because of who drafted them
Sullivan had a large mess to clean up, to be sure, but there were pieces worth building around on Miami's offense. De'Von Achane, Malik Washington, Patrick Paul, and Aaron Brewer were not brought in by Sullivan; he nonetheless deserves kudos for recognizing their talent.
Achane and Brewer were given fair, market-rate extensions. While Achane suffered an injury, no one could've predicted that, and he'll be back next year with the silver lining of one less year of mileage on his legs. Brewer has continued his rock-solid play and ranks as PFF's No. 8 center this season.
Washington has been Miami's most consistent receiver this season, and Paul's steady ascent continues.
Blunder No. 2: Missing on veteran bargain receivers Jalen Tolbert, Tutu Atwell, Jalen Reagor, and Terrace Marshall Jr.
The Miami Dolphins went from a top-tier receiver room to one of the worst in the league in the blink of an eye. Tyreek Hill's departure was a foregone conclusion, and the Jaylen Waddle debate will roar on for the rest of time. In any case, Sullivan tried to uncover some diamonds in the rough, and the returns have been... suboptimal.
Atwell was unceremoniously traded back to the Los Angeles Rams for Jarquez Hunter, a running back who didn't make the roster and was recently released from the practice squad. Reagor has spent the year on Miami's practice squad, and Marshall Jr. didn't make the team at all. Tolbert is the only one to make any contribution at all, though his single reception (for 22 yards) on three targets aptly encapsulates his backseat role.
On the other hand, modestly priced veterans such as the now-injured Tyquan Thornton (11 receptions, 219 yards, 2 TDs; $5.5M annual salary), Kendrick Bourne (17 receptions, 178 yards; $5M), Kalif Raymond (24 receptions, 226 yards, 1 TD; $3.5M), and Deebo Samuel (16 receptions, 206 yards, 3 TDs; $4.1M) have far outplayed their pay. It's also become obvious that Miami would've greatly benefited from a veteran presence at wide receiver.
Win No. 3: Showing conviction on Caleb Douglas despite the national consensus
This one is, admittedly, premature. Douglas has only been able to play in two games so far, though his work against the Las Vegas Raiders was enticing. He hauled in five receptions for 94 yards, which was tied for the best debut for a wide receiver in the Dolphins' history and the most for a rookie.
Sullivan was lambasted for the decision, but Douglas ranks 11th on the rookie receiving ladder despite just two games played. Hopefully, after the bye week, Douglas will be able to return and rekindle the chemistry that was apparently brewing between him and quarterback Malik Willis. Miami's offense desperately needs him.
Blunder No. 3: Not ripping off the band-aid with Austin Jackson
Jackson is the second-longest-tenured Dolphin behind defensive tackle Zach Sieler. It has been an up-and-down ride for the former first-round pick who joined the team in the 2020 class. This season, he is Miami's second-worst-graded offensive player, ahead of only undrafted rookie fullback D.J. Herman.
In the offseason, Sullivan considered releasing Jackson but ultimately settled on a contract adjustment that extended his stay by one more year. It's unclear why the Dolphins opted for this strategy, as most have surmised that this is Jackson's last season in Miami anyway. Alas, it's proven to be a mistake.
Jackson has been beaten early and often, as the defenders he's tasked with blocking routinely terrorize the quarterback. For the season, he's allowed 19 pressures and three sacks, both team highs. The Dolphins could've tried just about anything else and gotten the same result.
Add us as a preferred source on Google