The Miami Dolphins are an organization in flux. And although the team has made the playoffs in two of the past three years, it is clear that there is not broad contentment with the direction of the organizations from fans, media, or – in all likelihood – ownership.
Jalen Ramsey is on the verge of being traded now that we are into the month of June, passing the important June 1st date for cap relief purposes. Quarterback, Tua Tagovailoa seems unable to stay healthy and win a playoff game in the cold. And the team has the sixth least amount of cap space in both 2025 and 2026 (27th out of 32), despite having a lacklustre roster with multiple areas of deficiency.
And whilst some have claimed that head coach, Mike McDaniel, is the one on the hot seat, perhaps the targets are being aimed at the wrong culprit.
Could Chris Grier Be On The Hot Seat Instead Of Mike McDaniel?
This is the view that Sports Illustrated’s Connor Orr expressed, in conversation with NFL reporter, Albert Breer, on Tuesday.
Speaking to Breer, Orr believes that given the state of Miami’s roster and depth chart, there is a good chance that McDaniel will not only outlast Grier, but be able to choose his successor.
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“Mike McDaniel is extended through the ’28 season,” Orr said to Breer, “And either Chris Grier has a ‘come to Jesus’ moment here or McDaniel gets to pick someone [a general manager] who is going to be more of a funnel to the kind of personnel that he likes on the roster.
And that includes the quarterback position.”
What Impact Could McDaniel Have On The Team Post – 2025?
Chris Grier is not held in particularly high regard by the Dolphins faithful, but most broadly regard him as an average general manager in the NFL. Both NBC and the Pro Football Sports Network had Grier as the 18th best GM in football, whilst Bleacher Report gave him a modest 6/10 score on the ‘hot seat meter‘.
But given McDaniel’s extension that keeps him there for the next four years, it could well be that he is in the driving seat to become the primary decision maker in Miami.
In fact, Orr believes that the organizational structure of the Dolphins could end up mimicking that of McDaniel’s former employer, the San Francisco 49ers, wherein Kyle Shanahan is the lead decision maker who has the final say on draft picks and major roster decisions.
“McDaniel needs his own [49ers general manager] John Lynch in this scenario, Orr continued, “And he needs everybody rowing in the same direction in a personnel sense.”
Perhaps McDaniel, having accumulated just three years as a head coach, may not quite have that level of bargaining power with the ownership just yet. But if McDaniel continues to help the Dolphins over-perform relative to their roster’s on-paper capabilities, its not impossible that Stephen Ross could give him the keys to the franchise for years to come.
