Chris Grier had a reputation for signing players viewed as low risk and high reward during his time as general manager of the Miami Dolphins. Those players who have great upside, but are coming off injuries that have derailed their value.
This method often blew up in Grier's face, and ultimately, was one of the reasons that led to his dismissal as Dolphins GM. Yet, there have been a select few of such players who have panned out for Miami. Ironically, one of Grier's last pickups -- tight end Greg Dulcich -- fits the bill.
Greg Dulcich could be playing for Dolphins well past 2025
Dulcich was a surprise winner for me in Miami's win over the Washington Commanders this week. While nothing from the stat sheet was impressive, as Dulcich finished with just two receptions for 18 yards, he passed the eye test in other ways that don't show up in the box score. He's seen over 50% of snaps in the last two games, so it seems the coaching staff likes what they see as well.
Dulcich was waived by the New York Giants in late August and quickly signed to the Dolphins' practice squad. Miami then called him up in late October, following Darren Waller's being placed on injured reserve. And while there isn't much in the TE room to compete with, Dulcich has looked to be Miami's best tight end in that span.
He's impressed enough, actually, that he should be considered for a return to South Florida in 2026. A new front office is not expected to bring back a 33-year-old Waller, assuming he continues playing, and the Dolphins will need to make drastic changes to the TE unit. But keeping Dulcich around could make things easier.
When healthy, Dulcich has been a serviceable NFL tight end... "when healthy" being the key verbiage there. Unfortunately for him, that's been a difficult challenge. Since being drafted in the third round in 2022 by the Denver Broncos, Dulcich has never played more than 10 games in a season. In his rookie year, he averaged 41.1 receiving yards and 5.5 targets per game as a key contributor to the offense.
Dulcich is not the receiving tight end that head coach Mike McDaniel likes to depend on in his offense. In four games with Miami, the former UCLA TE has just eight receptions for 89 yards, and most of that is inflated by a five-reception, 49-yard performance against the Baltimore Ravens. Still, Dulcich brings a good balance of blocking and receiving, which will give him the edge on the majority of coaching staffs.
Tight end is absolutely a position the Dolphins should be targeting in the draft and/or free agency. But that doesn't mean there isn't room for Dulcich to stay. His play already gave the front office confidence enough to release Tanner Conner earlier in the month, and Dulcich has already passed Julian Hill and Hayden Rucci on the depth chart.
Tight end is one of the Dolphins' weakest units. However, it's also one they could fix relatively soon. While Miami is unlikely to throw big money at the position, re-signing Dulcich, signing another minimal risk free agent, and targeting TE in the 2026 NFL Draft could provide vision for the long term.