The reason Dolphins management and ownership aren’t devastated by draft position falling
With the Dolphins faced with the increasing likelihood of not having a choice of the top quarterbacks in the NFL draft, you might be picturing owner Stephen Ross and general manager Chris Grier bawling uncontrollably, while curled up in the fetal position.
Or something like that.
But that’s actually far from the case. An associate said Ross isn’t angry, or devastated, by the Dolphins winning two games, which has placed Miami fourth in the current draft order. And a team source said the notion of Grier privately rooting for the team to lose is off base.
So why aren’t they more upset? A few reasons, per a source:
▪ Ross is thrilled that he has a coach, in Brian Flores, who can extract the most out of his roster and put together a team whose performance is greater than the sum of its parts.
For years, ownership has been trying to find a coach who can get the team to play to its talent level or above. The internal belief it has found such a coach — and coaching staff — has left Ross very encouraged.
▪ The Dolphins believe the job Flores has done with this team — and the fact Miami is competitive and winning games — will make the Dolphins more attractive to veterans in a looming offseason when they will be very active in free agency.
▪ The Dolphins believe that even if they pick fourth or fifth instead of first, they have enough draft ammunition — and are resourceful enough — to address quarterback. And they know this draft has more than one high-end QB prospect, with Tua Tagovailoa, Joe Burrow and Justin Herbert all falling in that category.
It’s unclear how Grier currently ranks the top quarterbacks, but a league source said he isn’t going to make any definitive conclusions until he talks to them because he wants to gauge their leadership, intelligence and other dynamics in personal interaction.
“There will be teams that like Tagovailoa over Burrow and Herbert; there will be teams that have Herbert as their top QB,” ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. said. “We’re a long ways off from the Bengals, Dolphins and other teams settling in on their preferred signal-caller. I can’t wait for April.”
ESPN’s Todd McShay offers a comforting message for Dolphins fans: “One thing is for sure: NFL teams looking for a new quarterback will have plenty of high-end options.”
▪ The Dolphins like that they’re finding players — perhaps more than they expected - who could be pieces when the team exits the rebuild. Several incumbents who were on the fence for this regime — including Raekwon McMillan, Mike Gesicki and DeVante Parker — have made a strong case that they’re worth keeping when the team is ready to win.
That’s also the case with a bunch of 2019 pickups, including receiver Preston Williams, offensive lineman Evan Boehm, cornerback Nik Needham, linebackers Vince Biegel and Sam Eguavoen and potentially defensive end Taco Charlton and defensive back Eric Rowe, who has been very solid since moving to safety.
▪ Because they have 14 draft picks and likely more than $120 million in cap space, they believe they will have more than enough ammunition to fill their needs.
▪ By winning two games and being more competitive, management believes Flores has successfully established a culture and mentality that should carry over to when the team is ready to contend.
So even though some Dolphins fans might be fretting the wins, Dolphins management is taking it in stride. And even if the Dolphins fall to fifth or sixth, Miami should still be positioned to get one of the top three quarterbacks in the draft.
THIS AND THAT
Kalen Ballage’s 2.1 rushing average (55 carries, 113 yards) is lowest among all NFL running backs with more than 10 rushing attempts. But Flores said he will continue to get chances.
“Kalen’s done a good job at practice; it hasn’t materialized in games,” Flores said. “We keep giving it to him, and I think it will turn. He’s a good player. He’s shown it in practice. We’ll keep feeding him and I think he will break through at some point.”
▪ No one could have seen this coming: After winning two in a row, the Dolphins now need to guard against overconfidence.
“I don’t think there’s any reason to bask in the glory,” Flores said. “We’ve won two games. There’s an understanding this could go back to the way it was if we don’t work at it.”
▪ The Dolphins will have a ceremony for legendary coach Don Shula during halftime of the Dec. 22 game against the Bengals, in commemoration of his upcoming 90th birthday on Jan. 4. The Dolphins also had a ceremony when Shula turned 80.
This story was originally published November 14, 2019 at 3:04 PM.
