When will Dolphins mismanagement end? More unforgivable mistakes come to light
When Dolphins general manager Chris Grier’s authority was expanded in 2019, he explained that one of his tenets of roster construction is “you build your offensive line, defensive line. You start there.”
Apparently, Grier forgot his own words, because the lines that the Dolphins have built are collectively their worst this decade, something evident in a crushing 27-24 loss to Carolina, a game in which Miami blew a 17-0 lead.
The defensive line — featuring one good player (Zach Sieler), two mediocre stopgaps (Benito Jones, Matthew Butler) and two rookies who are in way over their heads (Kenneth Grant and Jordan Phillips) — might be the worst in football.
Carolina’s Rico Dowdle, a backup on a bad team, became the latest running back to gash the Dolphins’ run defense Sunday, rushing 23 times for 206 yards, a 9.0 average. Keep in mind that Dowdle entered the day averaging 3.0 yards per carry.
Miami entered allowing 158 yards rushing per game (third-worst in the league) and Carolina easily topped that, finishing with 239 yards on the ground (7.5 per pop) despite playing without leading rusher Chuba Hubbard and former Dolphins standout guard Robert Hunt.
Now let’s be clear: The Dolphins’ outside linebackers and several defensive backs have been deficient in run defense. They share the blame here. But the defensive line isn’t nearly good enough.
Of 121 qualifying defensive tackles, rookie first-round pick Kenneth Grant entered Sunday ranked 120th, ahead of only Ravens former fifth-round pick Broderick Washington, per Pro Football Focus. Grant had half a sack but was blown off the ball on multiple running plays Sunday. So were Phillips and Jones.
Opposite Sieler, Miami split defensive tackle snaps among Grant, Butler, Jones and Phillips. All were helpless to slow Carolina’s running game.
How could Grier think this group of defensive linemen would be good enough? Why didn’t he realize what coordinator Anthony Weaver has suggested twice in recent weeks — that playing Sieler alongside two young players reduces his effectiveness?
The offensive line’s play was grotesque; Miami allowed three sacks and created no holes for a running game that averaged a meager 1.4 yards per carry (14 attempts for 19 yards).
As usual, the Dolphins are being derailed by a toxic concoction of bad decisions and bad luck; James Daniels and Austin Jackson — expected to comprise a formidable right side of the line — remain out indefinitely with pectoral and toe injuries. Backups Larry Borom and Cole Strange did nothing to help Sunday.
The April decision to move up to draft left guard Jonah Savaiinaea looks increasingly dubious. Savaiinaea, who permitted two sacks on Sunday, has not only been the worst rookie guard in football, but the worst guard period, according to PFF.
Left tackle Patrick Paul has been a whiz at pass protection, but PFF ranks him among the worst run-blocking tackles in football, and he struggled in that area on Sunday.
It’s clear to everyone, except apparently owner Stephen Ross, that this regime isn’t capable of building a sustained winner.
Grier’s mistakes have run the full gamut, from the draft to free agency to picking a quarterback (Ryan Fitzpatrick) who was too good for the 2019 tank.
But his draft-day trades in recent years have been particularly regrettable, a reality that was amplified on Sunday.
Nearly four months after being named Dolphins general manager in 2016, Grier and executive vice president Mike Tannenbaum brilliantly traded the 42nd and 107th picks to move up four spots to draft four-time Pro Bowl cornerback Xavien Howard, who retired last week.
As far as draft-day trades have gone, it has all gone downhill from there.
The Dolphins’ poor draft-day trade record — except for the Howard and the Jakeem Grant trade hours later — resonated again Sunday, when Savaiinaea was beaten easily on a sack that derailed Miami’s final possession, and Jaylen Wright was a healthy scratch.
Aside from the Howard trade-up and swapping the 196th and 227th picks for the No. 186 selection (used on Grant), every other draft-day trade since Grier was named GM has been either regrettable or produced nothing particularly good.
In April, Grier traded picks in the second, third and fourth rounds to Las Vegas in order to move up from 48th to 37th to pick Savaiinaea. (Miami also picked up a fifth-rounder in that trade.)
Grier instead could have stood pat and drafted impressive Lions rookie guard Tate Ratledge, who went 57th overall, and kept the third- and fourth-round picks.
Instead, he drafted Savaiinaea, who has permitted more quarterback pressures than any guard in the league.
Entering Sunday, Pro Football Focus gave only three guards a grade below 40 — New Orleans undrafted rookie Torricelli Simpkins (36.7), the Dolphins’ Kion Smith (35.2) and Savaiianea, whose 28.5 would be among the worst of the modern era.
As for Wright, Miami traded a 2025 third-round pick to Philadelphia to select him in the fourth round (120th) in 2024.
Wright averaged just 3.7 yards on 68 carries last season, wasn’t impressive in preseason, began the season injured (knee) and was a healthy scratch Sunday even though Miami had just two other tailbacks available.
Mike McDaniel said Wright did nothing wrong, but Miami needed more bodies on defense and special teams. Yet this is a trade that Miami likely wouldn’t make again if given a do-over.
Grier has hit on some trades that were not made on draft day (dealing Larry Tunsil to Houston for a boatload of picks, acquiring Jalen Ramsey and Tyreek Hill, among others).
But the other trades made during the draft were either inconsequential or — in the case of these seven below — regrettable:
▪ 2021: The Dolphins traded the 50th pick and a 2022 third-rounder to move up to 42 to select Liam Eichenberg, who failed as a tackle and has been somewhat less than adequate at guard. The Giants used the 50th pick on defense Azeez Ojulari, who has 22 sacks in 46 games.
▪ 2021: The Dolphins traded a 2021 fifth-round pick to Pittsburgh for a 2022 fourth-round pick but then squandered that selection on receiver Erik Ezukanma, who had five receptions for 22 yards and played just 57 offensive snaps in his Dolphins career before being cut in August.
▪ 2020: After picking Tua Tagovailoa at No. 5 and oft-injured Jackson at 18, Miami traded the 26th pick (which Green Bay used on Jordan Love) for the 30th pick (wasted on cornerback Noah Igbinoghene) and No. 136 (later traded).
With Tagovailoa’s limitations and injury history, it’s safe to say that most general managers would pick Love over Tagovailoa in a draft do-over.
▪ 2020: The Dolphins acquired the No. 164 pick (used on defensive end Curtis Weaver) from the Eagles for picks 173 and 227.
Weaver never appeared in a game for the Dolphins, played one game for Cleveland in 2021 and never played again.
▪ 2019: The Dolphins traded the 48th pick and pick 116 to New Orleans for pick No. 62 (later traded for Josh Rosen), No. 202 (tackle Isaiah Prince), and a 2020 second-round pick (used on pretty good nose tackle Raekwon Davis).
The Saints, predictably, secured the best player in that trade at No. 48 — center Erik McCoy, who was named a Pro Bowl center the last two seasons. Davis is out of the league.
▪ 2019: Trading the 62nd pick to Arizona to acquire Rosen — who had one touchdown, five interceptions and a 52 passer rating in six Miami appearances — stands among the worst moves of the Grier regime. Two picks later, at 64, Seattle drafted Pro Bowl receiver DK Metcalf, who’s now catching passes from Aaron Rodgers in Pittsburgh.
▪ 2016: The Dolphins traded third- and fourth-round picks in 2017 to Minnesota for the chance to draft receiver Leonte Carroo at No. 86.
He had 12 catches for 192 yards in three seasons for Miami and never played in the league again.
Give Grier credit for trading up for Howard.
But since then, most of the players targeted in draft-day trades have been outright mistakes.
He must hope Savanaiiaea and Wright aren’t mistakes.
And he must hope that his past two first-round picks, Chop Robinson and Grant, are far better than what they have shown this season.
Here’s what Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel said after the game, including his answer for why the team did not throw to tight end Darren Waller in the second half.
This story was originally published October 5, 2025 at 5:46 PM.
