Chris Grier General Manager of Miami Dolphins, Just Announced His Departure
On January 10, 2022, the Dolphins abruptly dismissed head coach Brian Flores. The season was filled with ups and downs, as the Dolphins missed the playoffs for the twelfth time in 13 years before general manager Chris Grier fired Flores, the loser of an internal power struggle. The Dolphins were hardly considered a model NFL team, to put it mildly.
Now, in the present, Miami is experiencing sunshine.
Grier has repaid Dolphins franchise owner Stephen M. Ross in a number of ways for selecting him over Flores. The NFL is talking about the unbeaten squad that Grier put together following their Week 3 thrashing of the Denver Broncos, 70-20.
Grier brought in a number of players this season with the intention of encouraging on-field progress, and Miami continued its impressive start against Denver with them playing at their best. Grier’s hand-picked successor for Flores, coach Mike McDaniel, continued to produce major outcomes and was a perfect fit for the team’s architect.
It is, after all, still very early. And every snap in the NFL might be a disaster that changes the course of the season. Nevertheless, Rod Graves isn’t shocked that Grier has assembled a gifted, well-built crew.
As an NFL lifer, Graves has spent nearly 40 years in the game wearing a variety of hats. Having held positions as a general manager, player-personnel official for a club, and executive director of the league office, Graves has firsthand experience in building successful teams. Currently, he leads the Fritz Pollard Alliance. It’s obvious that Grier, whom Graves has known for years, agrees, according to Graves.
Graves, the head of the independent group that advises the league on diversity, equity, and inclusion in hiring, stated this week in a phone interview with Andscape, “You have to believe that [the Dolphins] have made the right decisions in preparation for not only this year but beyond.” Graves also noted that “you look at the success of Chris and the organization as a whole.”
There are a plethora of resources available to bolster that claim. They’ve handled the quarterback position really well. Regarding the head coach, they have undoubtedly chosen the best option for their team. Additionally, it appears that they have an offensive scheme in place that both the quarterback and the team find comfortable. That appears to be quite evident.
Miami (3-0) destroyed Denver (0-3), who was in town. Miami, which boasts the best offensive in the NFL, scored the most points of any NFL team since Washington scored 72 against the New York Giants in 1966. Miami did this by accumulating 726 yards, setting a new franchise scoring record. The Dolphins had a chance to shatter the league’s single-game scoring record with less than a minute left in the game, with the team at the Broncos’ 28-yard line.
Rather, as time ran out, McDaniel showed charity to the reeling Broncos, telling backup quarterback Mike White to kneel. Grier had probably seen enough, too.
The Dolphins’ offense, led by standout quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, whom Grier picked with the fifth overall pick in the 2020 NFL draft, has been at its best since the first play of the season. Tagovailoa had only three interceptions in 26 tries, 309 passing yards, and four touchdown passes without a pick in the blowout of the Broncos. He had a final passer rating of 155.8 (a perfect score is 158.3) and an overall QBR of 88.7. In all categories, he has the highest marks in the NFL (82.9 and 121.9, respectively).
Tyreek Hill, a future Hall of Fame wide receiver, was also known for his spectacular plays. With nine receptions, Hill amassed 157 yards (17.4 yards per reception) and scored a touchdown. Before the 2022 season began, Grier acquired Hill from the Kansas City Chiefs, and he had the idea of the speedster being Tagovailoa’s primary target in a dynamic attack.
