The Miami Dolphins still have a lot to play for this season and are alive in the playoff race entering Week 18, but according to a report, there has been buzz about some possible “front-office shuffling” in Miami.
“On the GM side, there have been at least murmurs of front-office shuffling in Indianapolis and Miami,” wrote Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated.
The reporting raises some questions about the future of Dolphins general manager Chris Grier.
“Indianapolis and Miami are the two where I think the coaches are relatively safe, but the general managers might be — there might be some discussions about the future of the general manager in those places,” Breer said.
Grier has been with the Dolphins for over two decades and has held the title of general manager since 2016.
In his role as general manager, he has assembled a handful of winning Dolphins seasons and playoff trips, but the franchise is still trying to win a playoff game for the first time since the 2000 season.
Miami currently has a core that has helped the organization reach the playoffs in two straight seasons, and the group is looking to make it three in a row this season. But in the 2022 season, the Dolphins took a first-round exit, and the same thing happened in the 2023 campaign. Now, the squad is fighting just to get a chance to taste the playoffs again.
Grier has done a nice job of bringing talent to Miami, but folks in South Florida aren’t going to be satisfied until their team starts winning playoff games again.
It’s also notable that Breer seems to think Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel is “relatively safe.” McDaniel is in his third year with the organization and is one victory away from putting together another winning season, but the franchise certainly has bigger goals than that.
Ultimately, there may be a lot riding on how Week 18 shakes out for the Dolphins. In order to sneak into the playoffs, the team needs a win over the New York Jets and a Denver Broncos loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. The Chiefs plan to rest some key players against the Broncos, toughening the path for Miami.
If the Dolphins can defy the odds and make the playoffs — and perhaps even earn a postseason victory — that would certainly be cause for celebration, and one has to imagine that a scenario like that would do wonders for Grier.
