Cooper AND Adams Makes Phins Road Harder!
AFC East rivals Jets & Bills added offensive firepower making them a tougher out for Miami!
The Miami Dolphins are 2-3 and woefully off track in their 2024 Season for even the most hopeful fan. While technically you can’t write the season yet, the road to recover this season and reach the lofty expectations heading into Week 1 is clearly a long shot. Currently, Miami has an abysmal 12% chance to make the post season according to the NFL standings. Things can change, but these odds were before the Buffalo Bills added Amari Cooper and the New York Jets added De’Vante Adams. Those didn’t get any better (and maybe worse) with those two big trades.
Now many are wondering should, will, and can Phins GM Chris Grier make counter moves to help the Dolphins chances this season.
There’s one big problem in all of this. Let me explain.
Sometimes what you need just isn’t available!
If you watch the trades taking place, the players being talked about in trades, and look to previous seasons, you’ll see wide receiver is one that seems abundant in trades. We acquired Tyreek Hill through a trade from Kansas City Chiefs. Vegas Raiders acquired Adams in a trade from the Packers for a 1st and 2nd Round pick less than 3 season ago and now they are trading him to the Jets for a conditional 3rd Rounder. The Browns traded for Cooper from Dallas for a couple of day 3 picks and now flipped him to the Bills for a 3rd Rounder. Philly picked up A.J. Brown from the Titans.
You can bet with the best pay per head that wide receivers are a key piece in the modern NFL, but they move like hot cakes and can be had every season.
You know what positions don’t move with any frequency? Top rated offensive linemen and defensive tackles are only pried from GMs cold dead fingers on the rarest occasions and only for a massive trove of picks. This is the problem these positions are exactly what the Phins need.
Look at what the Miami Dolphins received for Laremy Tunsil, who is an elite tackle! Chiefs traded for Orlando Brown who isn’t nearly the player, and it cost them a 1st, 3rd, 4th, and 5th Round pick! Colts had to send a 1st Round pick for defensive tackle DeForest Buckner and he’s 30 years old!
The point is Chris Grier might want to help the Dolphins chances this season, but his hands are tied by the reality that team don’t part with high quality defensive tackle or offensive linemen unless they are burning down the house or they are at the end of their career.
So don’t get on Grier for not making a trade to help this team out because there’s not much he can do about it at this stage of the game.
Grier sadly has double and triple dipped on finesse over strength and toughness
What you should get on Grier about is not addressing these flaws over the last few offseason and strip mining the offensive and defensive interior along the way.
Zach Sieler is a real talent and a steal for the price, but he can’t dominate alone. Wilkins and Sieler together where magic. We could have had rookie T’Vondre Sweat instead of Chop Robinson. Yes, he had the DWI, but we took Tunsil after the bong hit video. Imagine Sieler and Sweat! We all saw how he wreaked us in Week 4. Yes, I like the possibilities of Chop, but it’s going to take a while and he might never be a three-down player. Sweat in Year 1 is dominating.
I also love the possibilities of Patrick Paul. He’s a very good roll of the dice at tackle and in a year or two could help us out. But we passed on sure fire help this season on the offensive line in Rounds 1 and 2 with prospects like Powers Jackson and Graham Barton, who are starting now and providing quality production.
Imagine Powers Jackson instead of Eichenberg and Sweat instead of Benito Jones with Sieler and Campbell flanking him!
Some things are rare, and some things are common
Bills and Jets invested in their trenches on the offensive line, so the wide receiver was the icing or cherry on the cake. Dolphins spent tons of draft capital and cap space on Waddle and Hill, so the pass catcher market doesn’t help them, and that’s the bulk of the best talent available. Grier let Wilkins, Williams, and Hunt go and now are struggling because they are weak in those areas.
Imagine what could have been if they had invested more in these key areas!?
As it stands now, Grier, McDaniel, the Phins and their fans will have to ride with what they have until the offseason and cross their fingers. Let’s just hope that Grier isn’t the one makes the moves this upcoming free agency and draft ! Go Phins!!!
I find this article humorous! If we had a healthy QB, a deaccent O-line, and a better defense, we wouldn’t be worrying about a couple of roster additions on other AFC -East teams. In fact, we would look forward to the challenge. We drafted an injury prone QB even though then next QB picked in the draft was a healthy and better NFL style QB (Herbert). Ross fired the coach (Flores) who wanted Herbert. Then our current coach requested Grier pay the injured QB way too much money a year too early. If Brier had said no and kept Wilkins or maybe shored up the O-line. The Dolphins would have been in a better place. If Tua had his fifth lifetime concussion BEFORE his big paycheck, we could have corrected the problem. In addition, The Head coach has been staring at a clipboard rather than firing up the team. Obviously, our high priced talent needs someone to lead them and itis missing. FIRE Grier now! Hire Belichick and let him run the team, without interference from the owner. The Dolphins suck because the top heads have made big mistakes! We need change!
So much of what you said is true but don’t expect the owner to come to the rescue. I just don’t think he has the football knowledge to figure this out. And in spite of what people say HE is the one that directs the team. I said from the beginning that tua has talent but the most talented Qb in the world is no help if he is not on the field.
I hope Ross does, but don’t expect it to happen… unless we bottom out and then can we bank on him finding the right GM? It’s such a bad place for us to be in… Hope beyond hope we can figure it out, Teddy… But Grier getting axed is the MUST first step.
Well, I kinda’ think in sardonic way that our situation is humorous considering the unprecedented amount of ammo and insane price in trades… and yet here we are old, broken and failing. So, I’m glad you got a smile out of it. I don’t think Tua is the primary issue. Minny is winning with Darnold, Tampa with Mayfield, Lions with Goff…ect. They build right and have the right leadership at the top… if you want to include HC that’s’ fine. I primarily talking about the GM and his team building philosophy. If we had the right build, Tua would be a workable stop gap… even wit is high purchase price… look at SF. The problem is we built poorly…incompetently. This is about one man being the primary issue… Grier… the rest is for the next and right GM to make the call on. GM though, for me, is THE only 1000% must have firing for this franchise to get right.