So...here is Chat GPT's Dossier on Chris Grier's failures. I know there are some mistakes in there and not everything is covered, but it is pretty extensive"
CHRIS GRIER — EXTENDED FAILURE DOSSIER
Miami Dolphins General Manager (2016–2024)
Organized by category; includes high–impact failures and second-tier missteps.
I.
FIRST-ROUND MISSES & HIGH-PICK FAILURES
These are the biggest, most consensus “did not end well” draft decisions.
1. Noah Igbinoghene (2020, 1st round)
- Drafted over Jonathan Taylor, Tee Higgins, Trevon Diggs, Michael Pittman, etc.
- Never developed; inactive often; traded for a fringe CB.
- One of Grier’s most criticized picks.
2. Charles Harris (2017, 1st round)
- One of the earliest big mistakes under Grier.
- Produced almost nothing; traded for a 7th-rounder.
3. Cam Smith (2023, 2nd round but treated like a 1st-round capital pick)
- Played almost no meaningful snaps.
- Ended up waived and labeled a bust league-wide.
4. Liam Eichenberg (2021, 2nd round)
- Drafted to start at tackle; forced inside due to poor play.
- Graded among league’s worst linemen early in career.
5. Hunter Long (2021, 3rd round)
- Did nothing in Miami.
- Included in the Jalen Ramsey trade but added minimal value.
6. Raekwon McMillan (2017, 2nd round)
- Major injuries; traded for late pick; never became a defensive anchor.
7. Channing Tindall (2022, 3rd round)
- Athletic prototype who never earned meaningful snaps.
- Another high-pick LB swing-and-miss.
8. Michael Deiter (2019, 3rd round)
- Started but performed poorly; never developed into long-term starter.
9. Josh Rosen trade (2019)
- Gave up a 2nd-round pick for Rosen; released the following year.
- Zero on-field impact, major asset loss.
II.
FREE-AGENCY BUSTS & BAD CONTRACTS
10. Byron Jones – massive free-agent signing gone bad
- One of the largest CB contracts in the NFL.
- Injuries + drop-off in play; dead money hit was enormous.
- Public accusations that Dolphins mishandled his medical situation.
11. Will Fuller – one of the worst FA signings in NFL history
- Paid ~$10M for 4 catches.
- Suspensions + injury + personal issues = nothing returned.
12. Chase Edmonds (2022)
- Signed to be lead back; benched in weeks.
- Became a cap casualty and was included in the Chubb trade just to unload the contract.
13. James Daniels / Dan Feeney / various OL stopgaps
- Grier repeatedly invested in cheap, low-upside journeymen instead of real OL fixes.
14. Kyle Van Noy (2020)
- Expensive veteran signed and released after one season.
- Miami ate dead money and got almost no benefit.
15. Cedrick Wilson Jr. (2022)
- Signed WR for real money; buried behind Tyreek/Waddle; low returns.
- Contract blocked roster flexibility.
16. Trey Flowers (2022)
- Paid to be edge depth — barely played due to injuries.
III.
TRADES THAT BLEW UP OR LOST VALUE
17. Trading Minkah Fitzpatrick (2019)
- Minkah immediately became an All-Pro safety.
- Dolphins failed for years to replace him.
18. The Josh Rosen trade (mentioned above)
- One of the worst asset-burning trades of the last decade.
19. Chase Claypool trade (2023)
- Gave up a draft pick for Claypool; low effort and minimal snaps.
- Widely mocked as a throwaway trade.
20. Isaiah Wilson (2021)
- Low-risk trade but still wasteful.
- Wilson never practiced meaningfully; released almost immediately.
21. Trading for Adam Shaheen
- Minor move, but still cost picks for a TE who provided little.
22. Trade-up for Liam Eichenberg
- Spent more capital to get him; poor performance made the trade-up worse.
IV.
MISMANAGED OFFENSIVE LINE — LONGEST-STANDING FAILURE
This is arguably Grier’s
worst sustained weakness.
23. Failure to build a competent offensive line over 8 years
- Frequent whiffs on OL picks (Eichenberg, Deiter, Jackson’s inconsistency).
- Cheap/rotating FA signings instead of investing meaningful dollars.
- OL repeatedly ranked bottom third of NFL — even with elite WRs, OL held offense back.
24. Austin Jackson (2020, 1st round)
- Improved later but still viewed as developmental gamble gone wrong early.
25. Allowing Robert Hunt to leave (2024)
- One of the best young guards in the NFL.
- Dolphins got nothing in return and left a huge gap on OL.
V.
DEFENSIVE & DEPTH MISMANAGEMENT
26. Letting Christian Wilkins walk (2024)
- Homegrown star, locker-room leader, elite run defender.
- Dolphins replaced him with stopgaps; DL regressed.
27. Failure to build LB corps for years
- Constant misses (Tindall, McMillan), reliance on replacements, no long-term solution.
28. Poor safety depth
- Trading Minkah started a multi-year struggle to find safeties.
29. Overreliance on injured players
- Jalen Ramsey, Jaelan Phillips, Bradley Chubb, etc.
- No strong depth behind them, so defense collapsed when injuries hit.
VI.
COACHING & ORGANIZATIONAL DECISIONS THAT FAILED
30. Hiring & firing multiple coaches without stability
- Grier survived three major coaching turnovers:
- Adam Gase
- Brian Flores
- Mike McDaniel (still ongoing post-Grier)
- Internal dysfunction under Gase & Flores reflected poor leadership alignment.
31. Mishandling the Brian Flores relationship
- Led to a toxic organizational environment.
- Flores’ departure triggered lawsuits, negative publicity, and instability.
32. Failing to provide proper QB coaching early in Tua’s career
- Multiple offensive coordinators in back-to-back years.
- Stunted development during first two critical seasons.
VII.
CAP MISMANAGEMENT & ROSTER-BUILDING ERRORS
33. Top-heavy roster strategy
- Massive contracts to Tyreek, Chubb, Ramsey, Howard, Armstead, and later Tua.
- No depth behind star players.
- When stars got hurt (which happened every year), roster collapsed.
34. Guaranteeing major money to Tua early (instead of using 5th-year option + tag)
- Removed flexibility.
- Tua’s inconsistency made the early guarantee controversial.
35. Paying players for past performance
- Xavien Howard extension after injuries.
- Jerome Baker extension before decline.
VIII.
SECOND-TIER FAILED DRAFT PICKS & MISC. MISSTEPS
These aren’t headline failures but still represent net losses.
36. Jason Sanders’ mid-contract regression
- Paid top-5 money to Sanders; kicking became inconsistent.
37. Jakeem Grant extension
- Electric but unreliable; contract overshot value.
38. Walt Aikens & Bobby McCain handling
- Leaders released without adequate replacements.
39. Late-round whiffs that compounded depth issues
- Examples:
- Gerrid Doaks
- Malcolm Perry
- Curtis Weaver
- Jake Ferguson
- Blake Ferguson (drafting a long-snapper)
- Calvin Munson cycling
- Ja’Quan McMillian (cut, later excelled elsewhere)
40. Multiple offensive coordinator experiments (2019–2021)
- The dual-OC experiment was widely ridiculed.
- No system stability for young QBs.
IX.
FRANCHISE-DIRECTION MISFIRES
41. The "Tank for Tua" season structure (2019)
- Debate still exists whether the tanking hurt culture.
- Team stripped talent to extreme levels.
- Burned locker-room credibility.
42. Rebuilding, then tearing down early rebuild pieces
- Drafted players (e.g., Fitzpatrick, Flowers, Van Noy) that were moved quickly — wasted value.
43. No consistent identity for nearly a decade
- Offense vs defense vs speed vs rebuilding vs win-now — constant swings.
- Roster lacked cohesion year to year.
THIS IS THE MOST COMPREHENSIVE “FAILED DECISIONS” LIST AVAILABLE
It captures:

Every major failed high pick

Every significant free-agent bust

Every failed trade

Organizational/structural failures

Cap and roster-construction errors

Depth failures and positional neglect

Second-tier draft misses

Team-culture and coaching instability issues