Changing the org chart
Team’s director of college scouting said to be up for job
Dolphins ready to punt GM.
The Miami Dolphins will undergo widespread organizational changes this offseason, and those changes have begun with the firing of general manager Dennis Hickey.
Mike Tannenbaum, who leapfrogged Hickey in the organizational pecking order last January when owner Steve Ross named the former team consultant Miami’s executive vice president of football operations, informed key individuals in the organization of the pending changes before the team released a statement Saturday night stating that the Dolphins and Hickey have agreed to part ways.
“I want to thank Dennis for his work over the last two years. We talked about a number of different possibilities, but at the end we reached this agreement,” Tannenbaum said in the news release.
“I have been blessed to be the general manager of the Miami Dolphins for the last two seasons, and I want to thank Stephen Ross for giving me this opportunity,” Hickey said in the same news release. “During my time here with the Dolphins, I approached each day with passion, drive and integ-
rity in trying to bring a championship to this proud franchise.
“Over the past week, I have had a number of conversations with the Dolphins organization about my role in the team. Ultimately the Dolphins and I agreed that it would be best if we parted ways.”
Ross has already put Tannenbaum in charge of leading the team’s search for its next head coach, but it appears there’s already a front-runner to replace Hickey, and that individual is an in-house candidate.
Chris Grier, who has spent the past 15 seasons working his way up in the Dolphins’ scouting department, is said to be Miami’s next general manager.
Grier serves as the Dolphins’ director of college scouting, and has held that position for nine seasons. Last year, Grier was interviewed for the New York Jets’ general manager position.
Grier is the son of Bobby Grier, the former vice president of player personnel with the New England Patriots.
Chris Grier’s role could be elevated because of his existing relationship with Tannenbaum, who wants to take on a more hands on approach with the team, sources say. Grier and Tannenbaum’s connection stems from their relationship with Bill Parcells, the Dolphins’ former football czar.
The future of Eric Stokes, Miami’s assistant general manager, and Dawn Aponte, the team’s executive vice president of football administration, is uncertain. Stokes was one of the few individuals Hickey added to his staff when he replaced Jeff Ireland in the 2013 offseason.
Aponte, who primarily handles the franchise’s contract negotiations, is viewed within the organization as Ross’ most loyal adviser. Her role has led to a significant amount of discomfort within the organization, and turned off quite a few general manager candidates back in 2013.
According to a source, Tannenbaum has grown tired of the battles for power within the organization, which has fed into the dysfunctional reputation the Dolphins have around the league.
The Dolphins were predicted by many before the season to win 10 games and compete for a playoff berth, but very little the franchise did this offseason helped the on the field product, which is evident by the Dolphins’ 5-10 record heading into Sunday’s season finale.
Head coach Joe Philbin, offensive coordinator Bill Lazor and defensive coordinator Kevin Coyle were fired during the season, and interim head coach Dan Campbell, after an initial two-game burst, was unable to get anything out of the team.
In a letter to season ticket holders Friday, Ross said Tannenbaum would lead the team’s coaching search.
“We are going to conduct a thorough process led by Mike Tannenbaum to select our head coach that will not be constrained by convention in our approach,” Ross said.
“This search will be thorough and we will take it wherever we need to go. I appreciate everything Dan Campbell has done this season and he has earned the opportunity to be considered for head coach. We’ve also identified several promising candidates and will begin work immediately.”
Ross also said he had “high expectations headed into this year and the on-field results have been disappointing.”