Dolphins Sunday Mailbag: What Was the Biggest Offseason Mistake?

Part 2 of a post-trade deadline/pre-Buffalo game Miami Dolphins On SI mailbag:

From Lloyd Heilbrunn:

Is there any better evidence of an organization without a plan than the trade of one guy, only, that could help them win games for the remainder of the year? Trade or don't trade, there is no try…

Hey Lloyd, it could be that the Dolphins’ plan is to see what happens in the final eight games of the regular season before they go ahead and a full-blown overhaul and/or firesale. And it could be that they already had decided they were not signing Jaelan Phillips to an extension, so they should just get the equivalent of the best comp pick they could have gotten had he left as a UFA but in the 2026 draft and not 2027.

From TheHotChili:

Why was Tanner Conner abruptly cut?

I’ll say this as respectfully as possible, but it’s pretty simply because he’s not quite good enough and he became expendable when the Dolphins added a similar type of tight end with the signing of Greg Dulcich off the practice squad.

From Phinfan:

What is your dream GM/coach combo for next year?

My dream combo would be, say, Ray Agnew as GM and Darren Rizzi as head coach, though the chances of that materializing are somewhere in the vicinity of 0.00001 percent.

From Thee Dolphins Dum Dum:

What was the biggest mistake the Dolphins made this offseason that led to this catastrophe of a season? Could anything have been done to avoid it?

Hey Dana, that’s an excellent question. The first thing that popped into my mind is simple but I’m not even sure that would have been possible, but that’s to have done whatever necessary to re-sign Calais Campbell. I think he would have made a gigantic difference for the defense.

From David Campbell:

Greetings Alain! If the Dolphins gets blown out of the water by the Bills (99.9% chance) and lose to Washington (50/50 with Jayden Daniels out) on an international stage, does Ross pull the plug on McDaniel? Do you have any insight on if McDaniel has any say on new GM? If so, I'd think he may push for San Francisco's Josh Williams. Connection possibly to McDaniel time there plus they draft pretty well. Sorry for the hypothetical questions but still getting caught up with things after surgery last week & recovery is going slow.

Hey David, first off, best wishes for a full and speedy recover. I would be floored if McDaniel had much of a say in the hiring of a new GM, though I’m sticking to my prediction that Champ Kelly will get the job. As for McDaniel’s job security, it would take two pretty big embarrassments for Ross to change his mind and go away from the idea that McDaniel will stay on at least through the end of the 2025 season.

From Brandon Quinn:

I know your take has always been a firesale was unlikely and possibly counterproductive. With the rosiest of glasses, we finish with 6 wins this year, are in cap hell again next year, and are saddled with a liability at QB. My question is, after watching the Jets give their fans hope from the ashes in a couple-hour span, do you still think the Dolphins chose the best course, or should Minkah, Douglas, Chubb, Judon, etc. have been moved for whatever we could get? Even the Phillips deal, I don’t see Sauce Gardner as that much more valuable than JP? You know they’re gonna have to give him a pay bump too. Same with Quinnen Williams. And they got absolute hauls! I’ve been looking forward to (the trade deadline) since like Week 3, and they just let us all down again.

Hey Brandon, lot to unpack here, so let me do it rapid-fire stye. Zero chance that Phillips is as valuable as Sauce Gardner because he’s not as good a player and also it’s more difficult to find an elite cornerback than an elite pass rusher. The Jets were in a different place than the Dolphins to do an overhaul, with the biggest difference is they don’t have a quarterback guaranteed $54 million next year or a legit starter on the roster. The Dolphins’ “cap hell” isn’t nearly as bad as it may seem because moving on from Chubb and Tyreek Hill will create a lot of space really quickly. Lastly, the Dolphins should have entertained offers for all pending UFAs if they could get anything for them (except maybe Rasul Douglas and Kader Kohou), but this is where we shouldn’t assume any team offered anything for a lot of those players.

From Jeff:

Hey Alain, feels very ominous, but what Ross does next is likely the most important decision for the Dolphins since 2000. We need to have the "right guy" to run football choices because Ross isn't hands on as much as others, we need a GM to handle the books and run the numbers (be it GM or Asst GM), and we need that GM who is the "world's best scout" and can make those decisions correctly when deciding if that player is the dude or just a guy. It would be nice if one person had all the talent for this, but I was reading in the article you had linked in Saturday's mailbag about how some teams have this type of three-headed monster setup to run things now. One pair of names that came up was interesting and I would like to hear your thoughts on it, knowing what you know about who Ross is. Dawn Aponte was mentioned and has interviewed in the past for GM positions and the other female candidate mentioned was Browns assistant GM Catherine Hickman. Do you think Ross will be the first owner to hire a female GM and push for that?

Hey Jeff, unless and until something happens to make me think differently, the Dolphins GM in 2026, I believe, will be Champ Kelly.

From Life_of_Brian:

Was the Dolphins’ lack of activity at the trade deadline because of the possibility of a new GM that might re-evaluate the team's talent by their own set of metrics, or was it to keep the team “competitive” and avoid an empty or apathetic home stadium as this dismal season wears on?

Yes? I also think part of the decision was a desire to take the rest of the season to evaluate everything and determine how big of a roster turnover is needed. And this also is where Mike McDaniel’s job status and Tua’s troublesome contracts also could have been factors. It’s a lot easier to do a teardown if you don’t have $56.4 million of cap space committed to one player.

From Jeff Golden:

Could you please introduce Stephen Ross to Vincent Viola and Geoff Molson? Just whisper, “this is how you rebuild”…sigh.

For those who don’t know the names, Jeff is referencing a couple of NHL owners, Viola of the two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers and Geoff Molson of the Montreal Canadiens.

From RIP:

Why does Dolphins management suck so badly and for so long that I wish back for the days of Ireland and Sparano?

I hear what you’re saying, but let’s not pretend that group in charge (which included for a bit Bill Parcells) also missed on quarterbacks like taking Chad Henne and Pat White in the second round.

From Jason Kirkland:

Hey Alain, how are you? I think you're absolutely correct that next season will be Kelly, McDaniel and Tua, thus a wasted season. What do you think it will ultimately take for him to get rid of all 3? Which one of the 3, if any, would still be there if you were owner?

Hey Jason, for those looking for a complete sweep of the GM/coach/QB group, I’m thinking we’re looking at the 2027 offseason if things don’t go back in the right direction. As for who I’d keep, well, Kelly is the one unknown quantity here, so maybe I’d like to see what he can do.

From Mason:

Alain, thanks again for your great coverage of our beloved Miami Dolphins. Based on what you've seen this year from the current roster, how many players can you say are future building blocks? And do you think is time to move on from Tua?

Hey Mason, the players I would consider building blocks would include De’Von Achane, Jaylen Waddle, Patrick Paul, Aaron Brewer, Ollie Gordon II, Malik Washington, Zach Sieler, Kenneth Grant, Chop Robinson, Jordyn Brooks, and maybe I’m forgetting someone, but those are the ones who come to mind. As for Tua, he remains the best quarterback on this roster, so I wouldn’t dump him for the sake of dumping him, but the Dolphins do need to start looking for a successor.

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