Dolphins Sunday Mailbag: More Fallout with Ross, McDaniel and Grier

Part 2 of a Miami Dolphins mini-bye weekend mailbag after the removal of Chris Grier as GM:

From dandi144:

I would be curious to know Grier's hit and miss record for draft picks and free agents versus other well-established GMs in the league. Any ideas on that?

That would be interesting to find out, and my guess is the results probably wouldn’t be as disastrous as a lot of fans think (not to suggest there haven’t been some bad misses). But it’s a gigantic undertaking to go through every team’s transactions over the past nine years.

From Matt Thau:

Frank Smith has been around since the beginning with Mike McDaniel, and yet his impact was very rarely discussed until last week at the Falcons. With it being DEFCON 1, do you think it would benefit Mike McD to take on more of a managerial role and hand over play-calling duties to his OC of 4 years?

Hey Matt, it’s a good question, but there are two points I would make. The first is that I wouldn’t overstate the impact of Smith being on the field against Atlanta because he also was on the field against Baltimore, and things didn’t go so well. Secondly, and more importantly, I would be floored if McDaniel ever volunteered to relinquish play-calling duties. His offensive mind is why the Dolphins hired him and why Steve Ross kept him after moving on from Chris Grier, so if he were to force McDaniel to give up play-calling duties, he might as well fire him on the spot.

From CC_Hall13:

Hi Alain…excellent job as usual…do we know if the decision-makers on these trades that should happen in the next few days will be with us next season?

We know nothing about next season, and chances are we won’t know anything until after the end of the season, but all I’ll say is it wouldn’t surprise me if interim GM Champ Kelly, who will be calling the shots on the trades, were given the full-time job at least for 2026.

From FinsUpMass:

Give me one legit reason why McD didn't lose his job.

I’ll give you two: Steve Ross really, really likes him, and McDaniel maximized Tua Tagovailoa’s skills as a quarterback to produce a good offense after Tua looked mediocre at best in his first two seasons.

From Dorsals Down:

Is there a chance Ross has learned from prior mistakes, and will hire a proven, experienced GM, who will then hire a proven/experienced HC...or are we going to do this all over again with different names?

I make no promises. One would hope, though.

From Mark Malbeck:

Hi Alain, I see only 1/3 of the problem gone. I surely hope he allows new GM to hire his own coach. As far as Tua goes, I have seen enough. I’m also tired of finesse offense, it needs to go. Run the ball and play solid defense. When is last time finesse team won it all?

Hey Mark, working backward, the last finesse team, off the top of my head, to win the Super Bowl was the 1999 Rams. Though it should be pointed out, they won the NFC title game by a score of 11-6 and the Super Bowl by a score of 23-16. As for allowing the new GM to hire his own coach, I’m totally on board with you, but I have this feeling that Ross wants to bring back McDaniel in 2026.

From MD928:

Do you think McDaniel is too valuable of an offensive mind to move on from? You look at what Commanders OC did with Jayden Daniels, Kyler Murray…..why move on from a guy that turned around Tua and could elevate another QB without a better replacement? Keep him for next QB?

The reason is simple in that, yes, he helped turn around Tua to the point where the Dolphins had a good offense in 2022 and 2023, but it still consistently came up short against the better opponents. So is there a ceiling there? And is it then good enough to be good but not good enough? And what his that strong offensive mind doing for the Dolphins this year when they’re 2-7? That’s my answer there.

From Stephen Ryan:

What about trading Brewer?

Hey Stephen, there’s an argument for trading Aaron Brewer since his cap number goes from $3.8 million this year to $9.2 million in 2026, but he’s also played really well this season and is one of the few true leaders on the team. So it’s a no for me unless there’s a really good offer for him.

From Steve:

If there is an assistant GM from another out there that the Dolphins love, does anything prevent them from hiring that person now or do they have to wait until the offseason? If not, why not get a jump on evaluating the coaching and player talent?

Hey Steve, yes, there is a rule in place that would prevent the Dolphins from talking to anybody currently under contract with another team until the end of the season.

From Jason Kirkland:

I don't understand all the hype around Weaver. He's been a DC for 2.5 years now and the results are a mixed bag, at best. I know in Houston there were injuries. Last season, he led Miami to a good season, but few turnovers and sacks. This season, IMO, he hasn't gotten enough out of what he has. Not to mention, Baltimore bypassed him for another guy on staff for their DC. He's a great speaker, but that doesn't equate to all the hype, to me.

Hey Jason, yeah, it’s easy to dump on Weaver based on the results of the 2025 season, but I think the issues are a lot more personnel-related than scheme. And, you’re right, how you come across in press conferences isn’t significant, but by all accounts, this is a highly respected coach who commands respect.

From Jeff Horst:

Alain, do you think Ross will keep McDaniel in 2026 because Tua will likely be the QB and he does not want to task a new coach with that situation? Any chance Mike morphs back in time to his 49ers days emphasizing the run game to build for 2026 to help O-line and Tua?

Hey Jeff, yes, I do think McDaniel and Tua are a package deal, but I’m not sure about a major shift in offensive philosophy. However, that might change if the Dolphins do wind up trading Jaylen Waddle (if they receive an offer they can’t refuse).

From Francis Leo:

In 16 years Stephen Ross has hired five head coaches, 2 GMs, interfered with other team’s personnel which cost draft picks, fired Dan Campbell and insisted on drafting Tua, etc. He is the only constant in this nightmare and the real problem. Your opinion?

Hey Francis, first off, Ross didn’t “fire” Campbell; he just didn’t hire him as head coach in January 2016, and Campbell moved on to New Orleans. There’s also never been any sort of confirmation that Ross instructed Grier to draft Tua, though it’s not outlandish to suggest his fingerprints were on that move. Bottom line is, yes, Ross is the one constant since 2009, and there’s no way for him to escape responsibility.

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