Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Flores, Grier ready to kick rebuild in gear
They’ll evaluate potential impact players at combine
New Miami Dolphins coach Brian Flores and his coaching staff have spent their first two weeks together, getting to know the players on the roster, identifying positions of need and scratching out plays in their playbooks.
General manager Chris Grier, who team owner Steve Ross has given power to make all football decisions, has also welcomed new members into his front office to help him guide the franchise through its rebuilding phase.
Flores, Grier and the Dolphins’ scouting and personnel staff will be on hand at the NFL scouting combine this week in Indianapolis to continue their evaluations of players that could improve the team ahead of April’s NFL draft.
“We want to make sure we do what’s right for the Miami Dolphins, and take our time and be thorough,” Grier said in an interview with Flores on the team’s website this week.
The combine, which officially runs Thursday to Sunday, will feature prospects like Oklahoma quarterback Kyler Murray, Ohio State quarterback Dwayne Haskins and Ohio State defensive end Nick Bosa — the potential No. 1 pick who starred at St. Thomas Aquinas High — performing in a number of football drills and meeting with executives from all 32 NFL teams.
The Dolphins own the No. 13 pick in the first round of the draft, which will be held April 25-27 in Nashville, Tenn.
The Dolphins have a number of looming roster decisions they must address, including the status of seven-year quarterback Ryan Tannehill and whether they plan on offering a lucrative contract extension to Pro Bowl cornerback Xavien Howard. The team also must decide if they are willing to re-sign free-agent right tackle Ja’Wuan James. Other questions remain regarding where players like longtime defensive end Cameron Wake fit into the fold.
The Dolphins, who also have a number of roster needs, will look to the draft to bolster their depth on the defensive line. They also will be searching for interior offensive linemen, a defensive back or two to solidify the secondary, a receiver who can develop into a No. 1 target and a potential franchise-altering quarterback.
The new league year begins on March 13, when NFL teams will decide which free-agent targets they wish to retain or pursue, and which players they will choose to release.
“The full coaching staff has only been in the building a little more than two weeks. I think they have a good handle of the roster right now. Brian and those guys have been grinding here late at night as well, while we’ve been scouting, getting to know the roster,” Grier said.
“We have time here still [before the new league year]. We have an idea still, but we’re not going to rush into anything because that’s how you make mistakes.”
The combine will be one of the first opportunities for Grier and Flores, the NFL’s only black duo to hold their positions on the same team, to set the rebuild into motion.
Flores was hired on Feb. 4, one day after leading the New England Patriots defense to a Super Bowl LIII win over the Los Angeles Rams in Atlanta.
Under Flores and Grier, the Dolphins hope to construct a young, budding roster that will be able to compete in the NFL playoffs in the near future.
In their first weeks together leading the Dolphins, Flores and Grier have fostered constant, frequent communication with each other as they establish a working relationship.
“Chris and I, we’ve talked about that and we’re kind of aligned in that way,” Flores said.
“We basically talk four, five times a day just about all the things we’ve talked about — combine to free agency to draft. There’s a lot going on right now. But communication is the big key and I talked about that with the staff as well.
“Any issues that arise, if we don’t head them off — which they will arise, whether it’s disagreement about a player or really any issue — we have to be able to talk about them and really talk through so we make the correct decision and do what’s best for the Miami Dolphins.”