What to Make of the Reported Dolphins Front Office Moves

The MIami Dolphins are moving on from two high-level scouting executives who had been with the team more than a quarter-century

Miami Dolphins interim general manager Champ Kelly before a game against the Buffalo Bills at Hard Rock Stadium. | Jeff Romance-Imagn Images

The Miami Dolphins apparently are making more moves in the front office, all with the goal of reversing the fortunes of a franchise that hasn't won a playoff game in 25 years and isn't going to end the drought this season.

The team is moving on from co-directors of players personnel Anthony Hunt and Adam Engroff, according to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero, a move that comes shortly after the team removed Chris Grier as general manager.

While Grier had been with the organization since 2000, Hunt and Engroff actually had been with the Dolphins longer.

Hunt and Engroff both were promoted to their role as co-directors of player personnel in 2019, the year Grier fully assumed personnel control following the departure of VP of Football Operations Mike Tannenbaum. Hunt first joined the Dolphins in 1994, while arrived five years later.

That the Dolphins would be overhauling the scouting department isn't surprising in light of the Grier removal, and the biggest questions for now are what will happen with interim GM Champ Kelly and assistant GM Marvin Allen beyond the 2025 season.

Based on the simple idea of starting over, Kelly logically figures to be on firmer ground given that he joined the Dolphins just this past March when he was hired as senior personnel executive, with his duties described as assisting Grier and Allen "on scouting pro and college players across the country."

Allen, meanwhile, joined the Dolphins in his current role in 2019 and his duties, according to the Dolphins media guide, involved assisting Grier "in helping oversee the college and pro scouting departments."

Based on that job description, it's certainly interesting that it was Kelly and not Allen who was chosen to handle the interim GM duties.

When the Dolphins announced they had "parted ways" with Grier, this was the statement from team owner related to the GM position: “As I assessed the state of the team and in my discussions with Chris, it became clear to both of us that change could not wait. We must improve — in 2025, 2026 and beyond — and it needs to start right now. Champ Kelly will serve as interim general manager effective immediately, and we will begin our search process for a new general manager. I want to thank Champ for stepping up and his commitment to the Dolphins success this season. There is a lot of football left to play and we all need to fight even harder."

In terms of the rest of the 2025 season, the removal of Hunt would be more significant since his primary responsibility centered mostly around helping the GM work on the roster throughout the season for free agent signings, waiver claims and practice squad pick-ups.

Engroff's area of focus was the college scouting and the draft.

KELLY'S SOCIAL MEDIA POST

Kelly has yet to have a formal press conference with the South Florida media, but he shared his thoughts on Instagram after the 30-13 victory against the Buffalo Bills, both about his current opportunity and about Military Appreciation and Salute to Service Weekend ahead of Veterans Day on Tuesday.

"To have the opportunity to lead our team is beyond my wildest dreams," Kelly wrote. "But to have my first game as interim fall on Military Appreciation and Salute to Service Weekend makes it even more special. I’m so appreciative of our service members, veterans, and their families — especially my sister and brother-in-law who are currently serving and stationed in Hawaii.

"I’m truly blessed by all the prayers, calls, and messages I’ve received over the last few days. I can’t thank you enough. We’ve been here before, and the mission is still the same: Win. Win with daily devotion to the process and the people. Win by never backing down and never lying down. We fight. I don’t know what the future may hold, but I know Who holds my future."

That future, if the Dolphins close out the 2025 season on a positive note, certainly could include being given a shot at the Miami GM job on a full-time basis. The signs certainly would point to that being a distinct possibility.