26. Mike Tannenbaum, DolphinsLast Year’s Ranking: 28
Mike Tannenbaum presides over the most confusing power structure in football. Chris Grier has the title of general manager. Coach Adam Gase apparently has final say over the 53-man roster. Who does anything in particular is never exactly clear. Clearer is Tannenbaum’s checkered track record, and devotion to big spending and draft daring. Tannenbaum has established a distinctly-Jets trajectory in Miami except for one key difference: Hiring Gase. That brilliant decision helped mask a lot of bad ones in 2016 (hello, Mario Williams). It didn’t stamp them out, however. Restricted free agent Kiko Alonso’s extension was unnecessary and risky. Re-signing 2016 free agent bargain Andre Branch to a three-year, $24 million contract was one of the worst moves of the offseason. Good franchises don’t extend their Andre Branchs. They try to find the next one. Tannenbaum is going to make life hard on Gase. He could make things easier for both of them by letting Gase’s influence grow. The most promising NFL coaching prospect in years, Gase will almost certainly be the best decision of Tannenbaum’s tenure. Tannenbaum should maximize Gase’s impact by lessening his own.
