Chris Grier
To Dolphins fans, Chris Grier has been almost as polarizing a figure as the QB he selected 5th overall in the 2020 draft. Critics will point to his lack of ability to “fix” the offensive line in spite of the fact that there have been significant resources invested in doing so. Others will never get past mistakes that were made while he was in the front office but not necessarily in charge, as people like Mike Tannenbaum and Adam Gase.

But I believe it’s past time to put some respect on Grier’s name. It’s time to look at the FACTS and not just spout emotional vitriol. So here are some facts to consider. Since Grier was in charge, the following players have been added. You may argue which category some of these players belong in but I do believe most of us would agree based on current production that this list is pretty accurate.


Players that can be considered above-average to elite-level NFL players
Christian Wilkins (2019); Tua Tagovailoa, Robert Hunt, and Emmanuel Ogbah (2020); Jaylen Waddle, Jalen Phillips, and Jevon Holland (2021); Tyreek Hill, Terron Armstead, Thomas Morstead, Connor Williams, Alec Ingold and Bradley Chubb (2022).


Players that can be considered solid NFL starters
Zach Sieler, Andrew Van Ginkel (2019); Brandon Jones and Byron Jones (2020); Raheem Mostert, Melvin Ingram, Kader Kohou, Jeff Wilson (2022)
 

Players that are valuable depth players
Eric Rowe, Miles Gaskin (2019); Clayton Fejedelem (2020); Duke Riley, Nik Needham, Robert Jones, John Jenkins (2021); Trent Sherfield, River Cracraft, Verone McKinley, Justin Bethel, Keion Crossen, Cedrick Wilson (2022)

While it’s true that there have been some noticeable whiffs in the early rounds of the draft such as Noah Igbinoghene, Austin Jackson and Liam Eichenberg, I would answer that for every one of those examples there’s a Kader Kohou, Robert Jones, and Nik Needham. Similarly, not all of our free agent signings have panned out the way we had hoped (Chase Edmonds and Cedric Wilson) but that is more than balanced by under-the-radar signings that have seriously over-performed expectations like Brandon Shell, Trent Sherfield and Jeff Wilson.

Currently, our 53 man roster has 13 players that were originally undrafted free agents. 13! That’s almost 25% of the roster! That doesn’t even include players like Braylon Sanders, Trill Williams or Nik Needham that have shown promise but are either currently injured or on the practice squad. Grier has shown a great knack for finding hidden gems.

Ultimately though it really comes down to this: It’s virtually impossible to dispute now that Grier got the 2 most important decisions right. Head coach Mike McDaniel and QB Tua Tagovailoa. The Dolphins are 7-3 for the first time in decades and are clearly a rising, exciting team that is fun to watch and it’s time Chris Grier gets some flowers for the job he’s done assembling this roster.

Others will never get past mistakes that were made while he was in the front office but not necessarily in charge, as people like Mike Tannenbaum and Adam Gase.

Until Grier can hit on every draft pick like every other GM to ever do GMing, he will suck and will need to be fired.

Similarly, not all of our free agent signings have panned out the way we had hoped (Chase Edmonds and Cedric Wilson) but that is more than balanced by under-the-radar signings that have seriously over-performed expectations like Brandon Shell, Trent Sherfield and Jeff Wilson.

Broncos placed Chase Edmonds (ankle) on injured reserve.

He'll miss at least the next four weeks as he tries to heal from a high-ankle sprain suffered in Week 11. We already knew the timeline, but this cements Latavius Murray as the main starter in Denver's backfield for this month. Marlon Mack is the backup for the time being.

Also credit Grier for picking Holland 36th in 2021, instead of succumbing to temptation — as Denver did — to move up and draft running back Javonte Williams, who ran for 903 yards (4.4 per carry) as a rookie but tore his ACL this season. Williams would have been a good pick, but Holland was the better choice, because impact safeties are more difficult to find than solid running backs.

Have there been mistakes during the rebuild? Of course. The jury is still out on a few high picks, including Austin Jackson (18th pick) and Igbinoghene (30th). But no GM is perfect, and the smart moves (Robert Hunt, Phillips, Waddle, the use of trade assets, Terron Armstead, Nik Needham, Kader Kohou, Connor Williams, Raheem Mostert and others) have outweighed the mistakes.