Where are the Miami Dolphins Headed?

This week, owner Stephen Ross made two more front office changes by firing co-directors of player personnel Adam Engroff and Anthony Hunt, both of whom had been with the Dolphins organization for over twenty-five years.

This comes after Ross mutually parted ways with General Manager Chris Grier the day after the debacle against the Baltimore Ravens on Thursday Night Football.

I would venture that Stephen Ross made this latest decision in collaboration with the Ross-appointed interim General Manager, Champ Kelly.

Do these moves give us any indication as to where this franchise is headed?

What does this indicate regarding Stephen Ross’s plans, at least in the short run?

It is a guessing game at this point, but let’s attempt to predict what we can look forward to, or not, as fans.

First, the front office moves made by Ross indicate that he considers the current 2025 roster to be inherently flawed and that Grier and his team are responsible for its construction.

Does Ross believe that the entire team must be replaced?

I don’t think so.

Ross also believes in Coach Mike McDaniel and is honoring the extension McDaniel received this past offseason.

And after the Dolphins trounced the hated Bills on Sunday, Ross is even more certain of his conviction in McDaniel.

So, what about Tua and his future with Miami?

What about plans, if there are any, to bring in a brand-new General Manager this coming offseason with the authority to hire his own coach and choose whoever he wants as quarterback?

My bias as a fan who is tired of mediocrity and the lack of playoff success is that both McDaniel and Tua need to go.

This should come under the guidance of a new GM who can bring in fresh ideas and steer the franchise in a different direction.

Yet, my intuition tells me otherwise.

Ross understands, thanks to Tua’s ill-advised contract extension, which was given to him by Grier with McDaniel’s urging, that the team is committed to Tua through the 2026 season.

And Ross also understands that it is financially prohibitive to release Tua before that time without significantly damaging any hope of rebuilding the roster.

So, what does Ross do since we are stuck with Tua, and possibly, if not likely, with Mike McDaniel for the foreseeable future?

The only choice Ross has in this scenario is to let the season play out, and given a few more wins, Ross will feel justified in promoting Champ Kelly as the new GM and ride with Kelly, McDaniel, and Tua through 2026.

Not the ideal scenario, to put it mildly, but with the team’s economics left in complete disarray and the incompetence shown by Grier and his personnel team in constructing a winning roster, my feeling is that Ross will take the conservative path for the next couple of years.