The Miami Dolphins are not the worst organization in the NFL, but in Week 3 of the 2024 season, general manager Chris Grier was no question schooled by the one team that just might be. It was not a good look at all.
There is no question the most important position on an NFL team is the quarterback. They are the field generals, the leaders, and the one player the rest of the team looks to for success and failure. Right or wrong, that is why they get paid a lot of money.
For more than two decades, the Dolphins have had a quarterback problem, and Grier has been a part of it the entire time. He learned absolutely nothing. Entering 2024 with a quarterback who has a lengthy injury history, the Dolphins opted to go the cheap route with their backup.
Against the Seahawks with Skylar Thompson running the show, Miami couldn’t generate yards on offense. They couldn’t generate points on the scoreboard, but in Carolina, they knew enough to get a veteran quarterback to backup Bryce Young. Andy Dalton threw three touchdown passes and led the Panthers to their first win of the year, upsetting the Las Vegas Raiders. Miami was losing to Seattle at the time.
There is ONE player in the NFL this season with 300 Pass Yards and 3 Pass TD in a single game
Grier has his excuses. It’s loud in Seattle. The receivers are banged up. Tua Tagovailoa was healthy all year in 2023. I’m sure more have run through his head. Steven Ross has a list of excuses as well when he wonders why Grier is still the general manager.
This isn’t just about missing out on Dalton, who signed a two-year deal with Carolina ahead of last campaign. In addition to the Panthers, three other NFL teams started backups in Week 3 and they won. In Green Bay, Jordan Love went down in Week 1, he is (hopefully)ready to come back next week and avoided IR. The Packers did not hesitate to trade for Malik Willis over the summer when it was clear they needed QB help behind their star signal-caller.
Having a quality backup at QB is important. The Dolphins don’t have a quality backup, and they don’t have a serviceable one either. Thompson wouldn’t be on a roster for any other NFL team, including the Panthers. Tim Boyle wasn’t claimed by another team when he was released. Tyler Huntley was cut by the Browns and ended up on the Baltimore practice squad.
Meanwhile, the Dolphins have shelled out big extensions and more money to Tua, Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle, and Jalen Ramsey. They have overpaid for Terron Armstead, who is often injured, but they can’t find a medium-level quarterback to play in case Tua can’t. And they wonder why they are in this problem and Mike McDaniel is standing at a postgame press conference making excuses. They banked on Tagovailoa to be a star in ’24 and it backfired. Meanwhile Carolina, an organization filled with dysfunction, proved the value of adding someone like Dalton. Not a good look for Grier.
