Dolphins’ Grier addresses Ramsey situation, offseason, lack of spending, draft, more
Quick hits from Dolphins’ general manager Chris Grier’s pre-draft news conference, on a day it was learned that the Dolphins are exploring trades for Pro Bowl cornerback Jalen Ramsey:
▪ Grier said the Dolphins will try to trade Ramsey, even though Grier said he did not ask for a trade and did not ask for more money. But he indicated he wasn’t totally certain he would be traded.
“We’ve had some discussions with teams and we will see how it falls,” Grier said. “A lot discussions we will keep internally. We felt this was best for the Dolphins.
“Jalen did not ask for a trade. [But] after a couple weeks of discussions internally and his representation, it was in the best interests of all parties to move forward. After numerous conversations, it was best to move forward. This was many discussions throughout the offseason.
“It’s never easy to replace a player like Jalen. For the Dolphins going forward, this is the best chance for us to win this year and the future as well.”
Grier said he’s not sure if will be traded before the draft, if he’s traded. Asked when the trade could happen, he said: “When it happens, it’ll happen. And if it doesn’t, we’ll deal with it then.”
▪ Grier said no team has called about trading for Tyreek Hill and the Dolphins don’t intend to trade him. Grier said he would consider it if a team offered two first-round picks.
Grier said his understanding is Hill wants to remain a Dolphin:
“He has been working incredibly hard, here every day, been doing everything... He wants to be here.”
Grier declined to discuss last week’s incident at Hill’s Sunny Isles condo; no charges were filed and no crime was committed, an officer said.
▪ Why did the Dolphins not restructure Tua Tagovailoa’s contract and create $19 million in space to sign the best possible offensive and defensive linemen to bolster the trenches (beyond guard James Daniels)?
“We felt we didn’t need to,” Grier said. ”The strength of the draft aligns with where people would say our need are. There was no need to restructure Tua and touch the contract.”
Is Grier open to trading down with all the team’s needs? “Definitely.” But he said he also is open to trading up.
“We do have needs,” Grier conceded. Those include two starting cornerbacks, a starting guard and a starting defensive lineman.
Grier said in the draft “we’re going to need NFL ready players.. .We just have to be right on the person and the character.”
▪ The Dolphins will be active in post-draft free agency.
“There are more good street free agents on the streets than a long time,” Grier said. “A lot of veterans are waiting to see where they’re going to sign.”
▪ Grier said Patrick Paul will be the team’s starting left tackle. “He’ll get first crack at doing it.”
Tackle Larry Borom was signed as a backup; “we like Borom.”
▪ Was Liam Eichenberg signed to return as a starting guard or to be a swing backup tackle and backup center?
“Liam will provide swing versatility and compete for a job,”.Grier said “He wasn’t promised anything. He knows there will be competition for it.”
▪ Did the Dolphins make an effort to re-sign Calais Campbell, who signed with Arizona?
“We talked to his agent a couple times, we made him an offer and ultimately he decided to play for the team that drafted him. We are excited for what we could possibly add in the d-line in the future.”
▪ Is this a soft-rebuild or reset? “No. That has not been brought up at all. We have a lot of really good players on this roster, at places that impact games. Our goal is to win this year and have sustained success in the future.”
Grier said owner Stephen Ross did not tell the front office to spend less money. So why didn’t they spend more money to fill glaring holes at cornerback and the trenches?
Ross “wants badly for the Dolphins to win,” Grier said. “In a salary cap era, you can’t keep high-priced players.”
He said this is not a rebuild or a re-tolling and the Dolphins expect to win this year. “We were looking to sign good players at prices we felt comfortable.... It made sense to sign some younger players at those positions and we will fill in gaps in free agency after the draft.”
Grier said Ross has given neither he nor Mike McDaniel any ultimatum or a specific number of games the team must win in 2025.
▪ Grier did not seem concerned with the leadership lost with Terron Armstead and Campbell: “We have guys like Zach Sieler, Tyreek, Waddle, Austin Jackson, Alec Ingold.”
▪ Does Grier regret giving big extensions to Ramsey and Hill?
“They had earned that paycheck. I don’t look back. They earned it. They are good players. For us, we move on, adjust and keep going.”
▪ Grier said cornerback “Cam Smith needs to come through. He needs to stay healthy and be on the field. Can’t hold his hand and wait for it anymore.”
▪ Grier, on his body of work: “Am I perfect? No, I’m not. No GM is perfect.”
▪ Grier doesn’t believe he will need to choose to between best available or need at No. 13 because “the draft kind of aligns with what people perceive.. [our] needs are. If we chose to stay at [13], we’ll have options.”
▪ Grier said he believes the team’s starting safeties are under contract, but “we’ll keep looking to add.” Those safeties are Ifeatu Melifonwu, Ashtyn Davis, Elijah Campbell and Patrick McMorris.
▪ Grier, on the team’s culture: “We feel good about where it is.”
▪ On why the team signed Zach Wilson to be Tua Tagovailoa’s backup:
“We felt Zach had a lot of potential and a lot of talent. You could go veteran route with more proven [experience]. Getting to know him, once he signed, we felt talking to him and some veterans that he was right choice for us. His skill set really fits with what our offense does.”
▪ Might the Dolphins draft a starting quarterback high?
“We have our starting quarterback,” Grier said. “I would not be looking to draft a quarterback in the first round.”
▪ Grier said he feels pressure, but he always feels pressure.
He cracked that he knows people want him fired.
“Mike and I want to win more than you guys, just to get your guys off our back.”
▪ Will Kader Kohou play outside or slot? Grier was noncommittal:
“Kader is a Swiss Army knife. He will have to step up. Cam Smith, Storm Duck have to step up.”
Why was Kendall Fuller cut? Grier declined to say why they parted ways, but said Fuller - who had a reasonably priced contract and remains unsigned - is “one of my favorite people.”
▪ Grier, who has allowed some of his coaches to influence personnel decisions, said “sometimes maybe I defer too much. That’s one thing I’ve learned. As I’ve gotten more along in my years, the push back is great. That’s what is great with Mike McDaniel. We don’t always agree, but we come to an alignment.”
This story was originally published April 15, 2025 at 1:30 PM.
