Well, the Miami Dolphins did it. They really did it. They started their latest rebuild under owner Steve Ross — Makeover V? VI? — and gave everyone hope this time could be different.
That’s because it’s actually begun differently. Properly. Ross simultaneously cleaned out the coaching and the personnel offices for once. Every previous rebuild involved a general manager and coach on uneven timetables with no concern over which job was more important. Not this time.
The talent evaluator was given top billing in this rebuild. That’s how it should be. The Dolphins’ search committee stuck to the conviction of their work by momentarily ignoring the popular name of fired coach John Harbaugh. Some (raising my hand) thought Harbaugh could solve all their problems. And maybe he could..
But the committee was sold on former Green Bay assistant Jon-Eric Sullivan, to whom two NFL executives gave thumbs-up on Saturday. Sullivan doesn’t just come from a blue-ribbon franchise where he rose under respected mentors.
He instantly becomes the central figure in this rebuild. He’s going to draft his way out of this roster’s problems, if they ever get out of them, assuming his Green Bay roots are followed.
Talent evaluating has been the Dolphins central problem for these lost two decades. They pass on quarterbacks. Their drafts are pedestrian. And it’s not because of where they draft or what they need. Just look at the either-or decisions fired general manager Chris Grier made with his first picks on recent draft days:
2020: Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa with the fifth pick or Los Angeles Chargers star Justin Herbert sixth.
2021: Receiver Jaylen Waddle sixth or three-time All-Pro tackle Penei Sewell seventh.
2022: Linebacker Channing Tindall 102nd or two-year Super Bowl starter Leo Chenal at 103rd.
Do I need to go on about Sullivan’s importance? Because I can with Grier’s drafts:
2024: Either edge rusher Chop Robinson 21st or All-Pro cornerback Quinyon Mitchell 22nd.
Sure, the coach matters. And the Dolphins’ attention has swung that way by interviewing Seattle offensive coordinator Clint Kubiak on Saturday and setting up interviews for Harbaugh, Kevin Stefanski, Robert Saleh and Chris Shula.
That’s right. There’s a next-generation Shula in the mix. This offseason is full of fresh hope, right?
Ross hasn’t decided just how to structure his new management of Sullivan, vice president of salary cap Brandon Shore and the new coach. Will they be equals reporting to Ross or an intermediary like team president Tom Garfinkel? Will Sullivan run the show?
The structure isn’t as important as the people making it work, NFL insiders say. But the new culture starts with some decisions Sullivan will make regarding the roster.
*Does he reward running back De’Von Achane with a new contract or make him play out his rookie deal? No one deserves a new contract more than Achane. But his position and the Dolphins’ previous penchant for unnecessarily reworking all contracts might cause a quick pause on it this offseason.
*What to do at quarterback? Moving on from Tua is a given. Does Sullivan like Green Bay free agent Malik Willis? And at what cost for a Dolphins franchise in salary-cap hell? The last time the Dolphins hired out of Green Bay, the public idea was coach Joe Philbin would bring quarterback Matt Flynn. But Philbin didn’t like Flynn’s game (which proved right). Willis looks more intriguing.
Green Bay might also be looked at for the Dolphins coach. There’s questions of head coach Matt LaFleur’s contract status with the Packers. But defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley could be a practical possibility if Sullivan is considering the Dolphins have to face Buffalo’s Josh Allen and New England’s Drake Maye in the AFC East for years to come.
Look what Seattle general manager John Schneider did in a similar position. Facing offensive minds like San Francisco’s Kyle Shanahan and the Los Angeles Rams’ Sean McVay in the NFC West, Seattle hired a top defensive mind as coach in Mike Macdonald.
It worked. Seattle’s the No. 1 seed in the NFC. It primarily worked because Schneider drafted like the star evaluator he is.
It takes talent to find talent. The Dolphins looked outside, cleaned the organizational slate and made the hiring of the talent evaluator the most important move of this offseason. It doesn’t mean it works, of course. It just means they’ve offered the best chance it will.
