New Dolphins GM reveals how he will build the team, identifies five core players
New Dolphins general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan made clear on Sunday that he will construct a roster primarily through the draft and build a team capable of winning in cold-weather climates.
And in a clear contrast to the approach of former general manager Chris Grier, Sullivan also left no doubt that he will make final decisions.
“Everybody in my process will have a seat at the table,” Sullivan said. “....I want to make sure we eliminate the bias. Everyone will have a say. [But] the decision making won’t be collaborative. You are hiring me to make decisions. If we start voting on everything we do to make everybody feel good, the value of the process is out the window.”
Grier, conversely, would often defer to the wishes of others.
During an in-house interview posted on the team’s web site on Sunday, Sullivan told host Travis Wingfield that “we are going to draft and develop and retain our own. It’s important to raise our own because that’s culture. Culture is everything. When you raise your own, they’re bought in. They understand what the standard is.
“When you fall into the trap of bringing a bunch of guys from all over the place, there is no standard. Everybody is coming from a different standard. A team full of mercenaries is a scary place to be because everybody has got a different agenda. When you are raised in one place together, your agenda is the same - to go win ball games.”
“We don’t want a team full of mercenaries; that creates problems on multiple levels.”
And what about free agency?
“We will be intentional and deliberate in how we go about it in free agency because that can be dangerous waters if you don’t go about it in the right way.... I believe in free agency, you chase different makers.”
The goal will be “build through the draft, retain our own and supplement in other avenues.”
Sullivan said he will target players with “mental toughness, physical toughness” who are “selfless, good teammates, [and have a] burning desire to be the best and win.... At the end of the day, you’ve got to be able to play. But we want to make sure it’s the right type of guy we’re infusing into our locker room.”
He said he will construct a roster equipped to win in cold weather.
“Our division runs through Buffalo, New England, New York – cold weather places. There’s a saying in our business: Fast gets slow but big doesn’t get slow. We’re not going to sacrifice speed and explosion and skill for a bunch of big guys. But we are going to have substance to us at all levels of our team…
“It starts with the quarterback and then we will build this team from the inside out. We have to be dominant on the offensive and defensive lines and be explosive and athletic on the perimeter where we can attack on all three levels and give the coordinators flexibility to call the game any way he wants to win the game in any element. The best teams have the ability to be multiple. Those are the hardest to defend.”
With the Dolphins $30 million over the salary cap and needing to be compliant by mid-March, there will be considerable roster turnover. Sullivan indicated he already has studied the roster.
“We have 30 UFAs [unrestricted]. We can’t bring them all back. There’s a lot of work to do on this team.”
Sullivan identified five players, in particular, as building blocks: “De’Von Achane is a difference maker. He’s a three-down back, a home run [hitter. Center] Aaron Brewer is a really good player. His ability to play in space [stands out]. He plays much bigger than his listed size.
“[Linebacker] Jordyn Brooks is a really good player. He can run, good instincts, will strike you. Patrick Paul is a good left tackle…a huge man with length. I talked to him the other day.”
“Jaylen Waddle is as explosive of an athlete [as you will see]. His ability to create separation at the top of his route is as good as any.... There are pieces….We have some nice difference makers. There are building blocks and pieces.”
Sullivan said his approach in the draft will be taking the “best player available” regardless of need.
Conversely, the approach in “free agency will be much more intentional about where we need to fill gaps.”
In general, Sullivan said: “You have to affect the passer on defense. But you have to have two to three big men that when you’ve got to stop the run you have the ability. If you have a bunch of sub guys that you’re kicking down all the time interiorally and don’t have the ability to get big on you, they’re going to run it down your throat. It’s our job to give coaches the ability to be multiple on both sides of the ball with our personnel.”
Here’s my Sunday piece on the Dolphins’ coaching search, with four interviews scheduled for Monday.
This story was originally published January 18, 2026 at 11:13 AM.
