Miami Dolphins GM Jon-Eric Sullivan blows it all up, bets on himself
· Yahoo Sports
Jon-Eric Sullivan isn’t messing around. He isn’t dipping his toe in the water in his first months as an NFL general manager. He told us from the outset he intended to build through the draft. What he didn’t tell us is that whatever parts of the Miami Dolphins that Stephen Ross didn’t blow up, Sullivan was about to.
Visit catcrossgame.com for more information.
When Sullivan talked about laying a foundation, he meant on barren land.
So if the Dolphins finally end those decades without a playoff win in the next few years, it’ll be with his and coach Jeff Hafley’s fingerprints all over it.
This is a good thing. A very good thing, actually, because you don’t want two men running the franchise who aren’t willing to bet on themselves.
Who aren’t willing to do the unpopular thing today in the interest of a very popular tomorrow.
If Dolphins' rebuilding project succeeds, it'll be worth the pain
Taken individually, it’s not surprising that Tua Tagovailoa, Tyreek Hill, Bradley Chubb, Alec Ingold, Minkah Fitzpatrick, Jaylen Waddle and even eldest statesman Jason Sanders are gone. Collectively, that’s still a shock to the system, but if things go according to plan, these aren’t days Dolphins fans will look back on much, because in due time, they’ll have reason to be focused on the present. And when’s the last time you could say that?
The gold standard for the “blow it up, then build it up” method is what the Dallas Cowboys pulled off in 1989, when Jerry Jones and Jimmy Johnson shipped Herschel Walker to Minnesota. For the Cowboys, the deal resulted in Emmitt Smith (who alone would have given Dallas the win in this transaction), plus Russell Maryland, Kevin Smith, Darren Woodson and more.
Oh, and three Super Bowls.
That deal set an NFL record by involving 18 players or draft picks. Until then, the mark of 15 had been shared by two trades, one of which was a 1953 swap that included — ready for this? — Cleveland sending Baltimore defensive backs named Don Shula and Carl Taseff, who became one of Shula’s trusted assistants in Miami.
Plenty of other franchises have tried the Cowboys’ blueprint since. Some, like the Raiders and Browns, keep tripping over themselves. Others seem to get it right, even if they haven’t reaped the biggest rewards. The Cincinnati Bengals and Houston Texans fall in that category.
Dolphins can hope to copy Lions' blueprint
If you’re a Dolphins fan, the one you’d hope to copy, at least to a point, is the Detroit Lions’ example. They did fine in the quarterback swap of Matthew Stafford for Jared Goff, then made terrific draft choices including Penei Sewell, Amon-Ra St. Brown and Aidan Hutchinson.
Sullivan has ample ammunition to land some talent like that. He’s up to 11 picks across seven rounds, including two in the first round and seven among the top 100 picks overall. He also is unencumbered by needs. He “needs” everything. If he drafts a holder, Mel Kiper would have nothing to say about it beyond obviously informing us of three other holders higher on his board.
Having said that, you have to think that by the time Day 2 of the draft is over, a top-flight receiver will have a plane ticket to Miami in his sure hands. There’s no way to rate quarterback Malik Willis unless he has weapons to work with.
That’s in the “incoming” department. Question now becomes if anyone else is outgoing. Probably not, you’d think with only a moderate degree of confidence anymore. The Waddle trade to Denver leaves little on Miami’s roster who could be trade targets. Running back De’Von Achane isn’t one of them. Neither is left tackle Patrick Paul. It’s unlikely that linebacker Jordyn Brooks or center Aaron Brewer will have to worry about breaking leases. That leaves defensive tackle Zach Sieler, whom nobody wants to see go. He’s a terrific leader on a young team that so needs it and a year removed from being team MVP. Only Sullivan knows how concerned he is or isn’t over Sieler’s age (30) and cap number ($11.2 million).
That brings us to another point these past couple of months have made abundantly clear, which is between the bad contracts and bad choices, former general manager Chris Grier left Sullivan with a serious clean-up on aisle 305. Nearly everyone from Grier’s two most recent drafts are still around, but that’s always going to be true — you don’t cut draft picks in a year. Discounting them, Achane, Cameron Goode and Austin Jackson are all that’s left of Grier’s other draft choices. Is it any wonder they can’t win a playoff game?
We’re still in March. The drumbeat for the draft has barely begun. The realists among us all know the 2026 Dolphins will lose games. But there’s also a sense of intrigue. Of change. Of something new.
And, maybe, something building.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Dolphins GM takes boldest approach possible to rebuilding franchise