Chris Grier Has A Problem

Grier right now is in the middle of buyer’s remorse as he has come to realize that the core players that he built this football team aren’t working out, and he is going through a reset of the roster as evidenced by him not returning any of the starting players in the secondary.

He and Jalen Ramsey have mutually agreed to find a trade partner to move on from their marriage. This comes one year after giving him a new deal. The Dolphins are also stuck with Hill and his off-the-field behavior, and his not wanting to be on the team at times. Once again, after they redid his contract last year.

The Dolphins are committed to Hill until next offseason, when there is a manageable way to get out of his contract, unless someone comes to the Dolphins with a substantial offer, which is unlikely. 

Now comes on the heels of training camp, two players not attending OTAs because they want a new contract: tight end Jonnu Smith and defensive tackle Zach Sieler. Smith, who signed a two-year contract last offseason, is coming off a career year and franchise-setting year at the tight end position, and he wants to get paid. I personally wouldn’t pay him because he hasn’t come close to the numbers that he put up last year.

The Dolphins have reportedly been looking to trade him, with specific talks being held with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Sieler’s absence has gone largely unnoticed. He came to the Dolphins in 2019 and has been a solid player. He has gotten two contracts from Grier, and the last one, Grier basically lowballed him.

Sieler has had back-to-back 10-sack seasons, and I would consider giving him an extension or finding a way to increase his salary for the two years remaining on his contract.

The problem with Sieler’s case is he is 30 years old and when a player enters his 30’s, that’s when a player starts to decline as they get older and the Dolphins drafted three defensive tackles this year so those guys are going to be the future and Grier is probably looking at moving on at some point with Sieler. 

Grier is starting a reset. It’s evident by his actions. He hasn’t spent money on players and is now looking to trade some of his better players, such as Ramsey and Smith. He also hasn’t restructured any contracts, such as Sieler’s, Jordan Brooks’, or even Tagovailoa’s.

He also had 10 picks in this year’s draft and made a trade to get out of the 4th round to get an extra 3rd-round pick next year. For a guy who is on the hot seat, he certainly isn’t making a desperate move, so his security seems to be better than we believe as fans. 

After listening to Albert Breer’s podcasts, it appears that the team will be torn down again, but not in the same way as in 2019. The Dolphins’ roster appears to have players who won’t be here in two years. Guys like Chubb, Tagovailoa, and others have ways the team can get out of the contracts.

Players like Smith, Sieler, and Jordan Brooks, who are potentially looking for new deals, are likely to have to look elsewhere, as it appears Grier is tightening his spending and shifting direction to find a different core of players to build around, following the failure of his first rebuild. It has had its moments but has failed to produce playoff success. 

In this process, Grier must keep his current veteran players as happy as possible, which could have a ripple effect on the roster. It could also cause problems on the field if players aren’t happy with their current deals. 

The Dolphins’ season could be promising, but realistically, it is likely to be average or possibly disappointing. The problem I have as a fan as much as I want to see them win, I don’t want to see another average season with false hope. I think I would rather see this team go 4-13 or 5-12 and then rip the team apart rather than trying to sell false hope with mediocrity. 

Unfortunately, Grier is trying to sell that this year.