Ross keeps McDaniel, Grier but time for him to demand more. And more conclusions, reaction

Six things that must happen now after another wasted Dolphins season, one that ended with a 32-20 stinker of a loss at the Jets and stretched their league-high streak without a playoff win to 24 years:

▪ Owner Stephen Ross needs to demand more, even if it means occasional meddling. But Ross nevertheless announced Sunday night that he’s retaining Chris Grier as general manager and Mike McDaniel as coach.

Aside from the Cowboys’ Jerry Jones, there has been no more patient NFL owner than Ross in recent years. And it’s not fully warranted.

He has repeatedly given his front office a mulligan for missteps that are unforgivable.

For Ross, no mistake has seemed too big to cost the GM his job.

Drafting Charles Harris ahead of T.J. Watt? Let’s reward Grier by giving him more power. (This really happened.)

Signing the wrong quarterback for the tank (Ryan Fitzpatrick)? Let’s have the guy making that decision, Grier, oversee the rebuild.

Ross assuredly knew that this Dolphins roster lacked the physicality and toughness to compete with Buffalo, Kansas City and Baltimore.

And yet he sat and watched Grier (and coach Mike McDaniel) sign no replacement whatsoever for Pro Bowl-caliber guard Robert Hunt while signing retreads Benito Jones, Neville Gallimore, Jonathan Harris and Teair Tart to replace Christian Wilkins and Raekwon Davis (before Calais Campbell was added in May only because he took $2 million).

Ross knew that Bradley Chubb would miss most or all of the season, and he doesn’t say a word when the Dolphins allowed Andrew Van Ginkel (11.5 sacks for Minnesota) to leave without an offer?

Ross suggested the Dolphins draft Lamar Jackson, watched his GM ignore him (and take Minkah Fitzpatrick) and says simply, ‘oh well.’

Ross’ general manager and coach tell him it’s a good idea to commit $212 million (including $167 million guaranteed) to a quarterback who has stayed healthy exactly one year in his life and Ross doesn’t bat an eye?

Where are the consequences for anything? Who, exactly, is looking out for the best interests of the franchise?

It’s one thing to empower your employees. It’s another to allow them to go unsupervised when they haven’t earned the trust of full autonomy.

Is Ross, 84, not paying enough attention or is he the most forgiving man on Earth?

Ross hasn’t been made available for interviews this decade, aside from the press conference introducing McDaniel as coach. But he owes the public an explanation, just as other owners do, just as Patriots owner Robert Kraft will do with Boston media at 1 p.m. Monday after making a coaching change.

Instead, Ross offered only this statement in announcing that he’s retaining Grier and McDaniel: “I want to thank the players and coaches for their hard work throughout the 2024 season, as well as the fans for their support.

“As the owner of this team, I am ultimately accountable for our successes and failures. We fell short of our expectations this season, and I understand and share in the frustration of our performance on the field.

As we now look towards 2025, our football operation will continue to be led by Chris Grier and Mike McDaniel with my full support. Their positive working relationship is an asset to the Dolphins, and I believe in the value of stability. However, continuity in leadership is not to be confused with an acceptance that status quo is good enough. We will take a hard look at where we have fallen short and make the necessary changes to deliver our ultimate goal of building and sustaining a winning team that competes for championships.”

▪ Though Tyler Huntley told me that the Dolphins have informed his agent they want to keep him, he simply cannot be the No. 2 going into next season. Certainly not after Sunday’s debacle, featuring some wildly inaccurate throws, two interceptions and a 63.8 passer rating.

“Cold and slick ball played a big factor,” Huntley said of his play. “The [Jets] had a nice little plan for us.”

The Dolphins need to sign one of these backups in March: Andy Dalton (whom they called Carolina about after Tagovailoa’s concussion), Justin Fields, Jameis Winston, Russell Wilson or perhaps Jimmy Garoppolo. Or trade for an established backup who becomes available.

Other free agent options: Mac Jones, Joe Flacco, Mason Rudolph, Joshua Dobbs, Marcus Mariota, Drew Lock, Zach Wilson, Trey Lance, Jarrett Stidham, Cooper Rush and Carson Wentz.

▪ Find dominating, people-moving guards must be the priority on Day 1 of free agency. And sign or draft better run-blocking tight ends to complement pass-catching wizard Jonnu Smith.

You don’t need to break the bank on two guards.

But you need to be willing to spend significant money on one and decent money on another, because this front office cannot be trusted to find effective bargains in the interior line. No third-day Dolphins offensive line draft pick has become a good player this century.

Meanwhile, the blocking at tight end hasn’t been nearly as effective as coaches would have you believe.

Among 75 qualifying tight ends, Pro Football Focus said Smith has been the third-worst run blocker and Julian Hill the sixth-worst run blocker.

Entering Sunday, Hill had blocked on 273 runs and Smith 117.

▪ Beg Calais Campbell to come back if he wants to keep playing.

With no cap space and more than a dozen needs, it’s going to be tricky to spend big money on a player to line up opposite Zach Sieler. If Campbell is willing to come back for a decent raise from the $2 million salary this season, don’t blink an eye.

Campbell, 38, said he will decide his future by March and would consider the Dolphins. “I haven’t made a decision if this was my last game,” he said Sunday evening. “I’ve got to really decide if I want to go through this process again. It’s a lot. I just don’t want to be a guy out there. I want to be a difference-maker.”

▪ Re-sign Tyrel Dodson to play inside linebacker alongside Jordyn Brooks, find a better nose tackle than Benito Jones and find two new starting safeties (unless Jevon Holland is willing to take well below market value, which seems highly unlikely).

▪ For McDaniel: Go in a lab and find a way to reincorporate the vertical passing game into your offense. What’s the point in stomaching $38 million in cap charges for Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle in 2025 if you cannot maximize them and instead simply throw your hands up in the air when teams play two high safeties?

And let’s be clear: One of the corrosive impacts of the Dolphins neglecting their offensive line this past spring was not trusting their quarterbacks to have the time to throw deep anymore, which resulted in misuse/underuse of Hill, who suggested afterward he wants out after finishing with less than 1,000 receiving yards for only the second time in his career.

“There are a lot of things I need to reassess about my career,” Hill said Sunday evening. “Just see what I need to do to continue to get better as a player so I can continue to reach that 1,000-yard mark. It [stinks] missing QB 1.... I’ve got to do what’s best for me and my family, whether that’s here or wherever the case may be. I’m opening the door. I’m out, bro.

“It was great playing here, but at the end of the day, I’ve got to do what’s best for my career. I’m too much of a competitor to be just out there.”

McDaniel said coaches (not the medical staff) told him that Hill was unavailable in the fourth quarter, but he’s not sure why.

He said he will speak with Hill during the next two days to gain clarity. “I look forward to having conversations with him this week,” McDaniel said.

Asked his reaction to Hill suggesting he wants out, McDaniel said: “Emotions are high after a game like that. There are conversations that will be direct next couple days. I’m not going to put too much weight in second-hand post-game disappointment.”

Hill is under contract through 2026 and has a $27.7 million cap hit in 2025. If he’s traded, his Dolphins dead money 2025 cap hit would rise to $28.3 million if he’s traded before June 1 and drop to $12.7 million if he’s traded after June 1.

But back to McDaniel, who has done enough (in our view) to earn a third season despite this season’s regression to 8-9:

Most phone booths have been removed across the country, but the Dolphins still seem to play in one, throwing screen after screen because their interior line is incapable of establishing a successful inside zone running game or block long enough or well enough for deep patterns to develop.

And one other bit of unsolicited advice for McDaniel: Find someone to give you better guidance on when to challenge calls. McDaniel is 4 for 19 in his career on challenges.

One final thought, as I shared on X (@flasportsbuzz): This six-year rebuild basically yielded this: two wild card losses, an incredible Tagovailoa performance in Week 2 in Baltimore in 2022, some entertaining 1 p.m. home games against bad teams (including the 70-point eruption vs. Denver), one win against the Bills and two neat 4:25 home wins vs. Dallas and 49ers.

That about covers it. And that’s not nearly enough for the hundreds of millions of dollars and draft resources allocated after the 2019 roster dismantling.

Postgame reaction/draft

The Dolphins moved up to 13th in the draft with the loss.

Some postseason reaction Sunday evening:

▪ Campbell: “The season was a roller coaster. Guys fought hard. Nobody quit. We kept fighting. I’m proud of my guys for that.”

▪ Smith, who set team records at tight end for yards receiving, touchdowns and receptions: “A lot of things to be proud of as a team. Proud of coming into Week 18 and giving us a chance to compete for the playoffs. It didn’t go our way.

“It’s a very competitive league. Unfortunately, we didn’t meet the standards and expectations we set out. It will hurt.... [But] it’s a great culture” here.

▪ Waddle: “Definitely disappointing. Got to give a lot of respect to this team [playing hard with] people being out. Keep fighting. I don’t think we’re far [away] at all.”