NFL GM delivers a harsh verdict on the Miami Dolphins’ future — and it echoes exactly what fans have been fearing all season

"I'm told that embattled Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel has not lost the vast majority of Miami's locker room despite a 1-6 start. However, as we have seen play out in press conferences, his relationship with QB Tua Tagovailoa needs work if the Dolphins hope to right the ship Sunday in Atlanta — and beyond.

As one NFL GM explained, "Miami needs a fresh start. They never really developed and drafted well enough. They put Band-Aids on the roster and no progress. Mike's not a bad coach. It's just an aimless program...not a program that can be sustained."

— Dianna Russini on the Miami Dolphins' trying 2025 seas0n

How long have key figures in the Miami Dolphins' organization been in place?

• General manager Chris Grier — named GM in 2016, took full control of football operations in 2019
• Head coach Mike McDaniel — hired in 2022
• Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa — drafted 5th overall in the 2020 NFL Draft
• Defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver — hired in 2024

The assessment is a tough one. But it is, by and large, accurate. Miami's key years under Mike McDaniel were fueled by players on mature, expensive contracts. The team failed to covet draft picks at a pace that would have allowed them to keep their depth intact. And the Dolphins' players they did select too often failed to mature.

Miami drafted just eight players in the 2022 and 2023 NFL Drafts combined. By 2024, the Dolphins were targeting aged veterans to piece together a sizable portion of the roster. And by that point, that fueled differing opinions on how Miami, as a team, should be run — bringing forward the team culture issues that Miami's conversation has centered around for the better part of a year now.

The attempt to course correct in 2025 appear to be too little, too late. Especially given that McDaniel's best attribute upon being hired was to revive the career and breathe confidence into quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. That relationship seems off in 2025, which should only spur more questions about the direction (or lack thereof) of the Dolphins.

The general manager in question suggested that the Dolphins would benefit from 'a fresh start'. Given the tangled web that this team's key faces have been apart of since 2019, it's hard to imagine major changes to some pieces of the power structure resulting in major changes for all the pieces of the power structure. That would most certainly qualify as a fresh start. It's up to this group to start winning, and fast, to change that trajectory.

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