It appears the Miami Dolphins are toast.
After losing to the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday, the Dolphins are now 1-5 on the year. That leaves them three games behind the seven AFC teams that are already have at least four wins. Perhaps winnable matchups against the Cleveland Browns, Atlanta Falcons, and Baltimore Ravens to round out October could help the Dolphins rebound. But the Miami winning eight of its last 12 just to get above .500 feels inconceivable.
For some teams drowning in losses, there’s nothing to do but sink deeper and wait for the offseason to provide a reprieve. But the Dolphins are fortunate to have several veteran players that could interest other teams and clear space from the Miami’s crunched salary cap in 2026.
The hang up is general manager Chris Grier.
Is Grier, whose spot at the helm of the franchise is likely hanging on by thread, willing to trade away veterans, knowing it’ll hurt the Dolphins’ chances at getting another couple wins in 2025?
According to the NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Bradley Chubb is a player that has drawn interest from teams with the trade deadline just a few weeks away. Trading Chubb would move a veteran with cap hits north of $30 million in each of the next two seasons off the roster and return the Dolphins some draft capital. But is Grier willing to part with Miami’s sack leader knowing it isn’t going to help the team’s struggling defense get back on track and help save his job?
Chubb isn’t the only player who could be a valuable trade chip right now. Jaelan Phillips and Darren Waller are among the veterans set to become free agents in the 2026 offseason who could intrigue a contender. As could NFL tackles leader Jordyn Brooks and five-time Pro Bowl safety Minkah Fitzpatrick, who have $10.1 million and $18.8 million cap hits in 2026, respectively.
Losing those players won’t help the Dolphins turn things around in 2025. But dealing them could set up the team to rebuild quicker and be competitive again sooner.
Take the Washington Commanders, for example. Just two years ago, the team traded both Chase Young and Montez Sweat ahead of the 2023 deadline. It sank an already bad defense lower and Washington lost its last eight games of the year.
The Commanders used the No. 2 overall pick they received from all those losses to take quarterback Jayden Daniels. The draft picks they received in the Young and Sweat trades were used to add defensive back Mike Sainristil, tight end Ben Sinnott, and wide receiver Luke McCaffrey. Washington then leaned on its young new core and a few key veterans on its way to the NFC Championship.
Those kind of future-oriented deals are in the Dolphins’ best interest right now, but they might not be in Grier’s.
There’s no time to waste. Five NFL players were traded in just the last week (Greg Newsome II, Tyson Campbell, Odafe Oweh, Alohi Gilman, and Joe Flacco).
If Stephen Ross hopes to maximize the Dolphins’ opportunities to set themselves up for success, the time is now to move on from Grier as general manager.
This article originally appeared on Dolphins Wire: Dolphins need to fire GM Chris Grier before they waste trade deadline
