Chris Grier had been with the Dolphins since 2000. The team split with its GM just before the trade deadline. Two execs who had been with the franchise longer also are out of the picture now.
Following the Dolphins’ upset win over the Bills, NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero notes co-directors of player personnel Adam Engroff and Anthony Hunt are no longer with the organization. Both staffers had been with the Dolphins since the 1990s, and they had steadily ascended. They were the longest-tenured staffers in Miami’s front office, according to the Miami Herald’s C. Isaiah Smalls.
Engroff joined the Dolphins in 1999 as a scout and climbed to the director of college scouting post in 2016, the same offseason Grier took the GM reins. Grier overtaking Mike Tannenbaum as the Dolphins’ top front office decision-maker in 2019 also coincided with Engroff’s final rise within the organization, as the Dolphins elevated him to co-director of player personnel that year.
Hunt had been with the Dolphins since Dan Marino‘s prime, arriving in 1994, and he had been in the upper reaches of the team’s scouting department since 2013 — upon being promoted to co-director of pro personnel. Grier then appointed Hunt as a co-player personnel director alongside Engroff in 2019. While Engroff headed the Dolphins’ scouting department, Smalls notes Hunt worked closely with Grier on roster assembly.
It is interesting to see the Dolphins clean house on this level at this time. Scouting staffers are regularly retained through the draft, as contracts for those positions generally run beyond that point. Teams often prefer not to disrupt their scouting contingents during the runup to drafts, with many of those changes coming in May annually. Time remains to set draft boards, however, and the Dolphins are in overhaul mode despite having intentions to retain Mike McDaniel through season’s end. Though, having these positions unfilled ahead of Thanksgiving represents an interesting setup.
Champ Kelly is in place as interim GM, being hired this past offseason after a Raiders departure. Kelly is technically auditioning to replace Grier, but teams do not make a habit of removing interim tags from GMs. Stephen Ross likely has outside candidates in mind, despite Grier being an internal staffer to climb. The Dolphins last hired an outsider to head up their front office when they tabbed Tannenbaum as executive VP of football ops in 2015. Dennis Hickey is the most recent outsider to be named GM in Miami; his tenure lasted only two years (2014-15).
After Tuesday’s trade deadline passed, Bills GM Brandon Beane lamented the fact that he was unable to swing a deal to improve his roster. He also noted that his club’s salary cap situation – Buffalo has under $3MM of cap space – prevented him from “fishing in the deep end of the pond.”
But subsequent reports suggest Beane did plenty of deep sea (or pond) fishing. The problem is that several of his targets are/were on teams in the same division, making it more difficult to consummate a trade.
Champ Kelly, the Dolphins’ interim GM, was said to be more amenable than Chris Grier, his predecessor, to a Waddle deal. Kelly nonetheless set a high asking price on Waddle, which was reported to be a first-round pick “and then some.”
According to Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports, the Dolphins were seeking a third-rounder in addition to a first–round selection in a Waddle trade. Pelissero reports Beane was willing to meet that price, but not in the way Miami wanted (video link). Beane was prepared to part with a 2026 third-rounder and a 2027 first, but Kelly wanted the first-rounder to be in 2026. Plus, Pelissero’s NFL Network colleague Mike Garafolo hears Kelly would have required even more than that if he were to agree to send Waddle to the division-rival Bills. Waddle’s prorated 2025 base salary of $1.17MM would have been feasible for Buffalo to absorb, but the cost of the trade itself clearly was not. In the end, Waddle stayed put.
More difficult from at least a financial standpoint for the Bills to acquire was Jets defensive tackle Quinnen Williams, though Pelissero reports Beane pursued him as well (and offered a first-round pick as part of his proposal). Buffalo has one of the worst run defenses in the league, and starting DT Ed Oliver suffered a torn biceps in Week 8 and will not return until the postseason (if at all). Williams would have been an ideal on-field fit, but his prorated 2025 salary of $15.65MM would have required a great deal of last-minute maneuvering on Beane’s part (as Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap.com observes). And, it is fair to assume New York, like Miami, would have set an even higher price tag for a divisional foe (Gang Green ultimately dealt Willams to the Cowboys in exchange for a 2026 second-rounder, a 2027 first-rounder, and DT Mazi Smith).
Having struck out in their trade pursuits – which also included a stab at a CB upgrade and linebacker Logan Wilson – the Bills will hope their existing roster can make another playoff run. The team is 6-3 and in a close race with the surprising Patriots (8-2) for the AFC East title.
The Steelers were reportedly one of the most aggressive clubs in pursuing a wide receiver at this year’s trade deadline, and they were in on the Raiders’ Jakobi Meyers before Las Vegas shipped the contract-year wideout to the Jaguars. Ultimately, Pittsburgh did not swing a trade for a player to complement Aaron Rodgers’ contingent of pass catchers.
Pittsburgh did signMarquez Valdes-Scantling shortly before the deadline, and according to Mark Kaboly of The Pat McAfee Show, the club was at least somewhat close to adding a receiver. However, that unnamed player ultimately stayed with his current team.
The Titans’ Calvin Ridley or the Dolphins’ Jaylen Waddle could have been the receiver in question, as both players were connected to the Steelers in the run-up to the deadline but were not traded. According to Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network, Pittsburgh did call Miami to discuss Waddle, joining the Broncos and the Bills as known suitors of the 2021 first-rounder.
We heard just this morning that the high price that Dolphins interim GM Champ Kelly set on Waddle was a first- and third-round pick (and, in the case of the division-rival Bills, who did offer a package including those selections, Kelly wanted even more). Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports believes multiple non-Buffalo teams would have been willing to make the deal if the third-rounder were not part of the equation, and despite some chatter that the ‘Fins may have been prepared to lower their asking price as the deadline got closer, they obviously could not come to terms with any interested clubs.
We may never know if the Steelers were one of the teams prepared to pony up a first-rounder for Waddle. In any event, Rodgers & Co. will have to content themselves with the Valdes-Scantling addition as they seek to retain control of the AFC North.
Per Kaboly, the Steelers thought MVS would sign with them in August, after he was released by the Seahawks. The 31-year-old had previously acknowledged he had to choose between San Francisco and Pittsburgh, and at the time, he saw the 49ers as the better fit.
He wound up playing in five games with the 49ers, catching four balls for 40 yards. He eventually was released with an injury settlement.
Week 10 will mark the debut for both players the Chargers gave the IR-designated for return label during roster cutdowns in August. Their activations had already been accounted for, but Hand’s had not. With those three now back in the fold, the Bolts have three IR activations remaining on the season.
The NFL’s latest trade deadline featured eight Tuesday trades, but a total of 22 in-season swaps occurred this year. Some teams made multiple trades; several others stood pat. Two of the biggest trades in deadline history went down this week.
As we detailed Wednesday in the latest Trade Rumors Front Office post, the Jets’ perspective brought strong value for young players toiling on a downtrodden team. The three first-rounders plus the 2026 second will give New York’s new decision-makers a chance to retool while having assets to either find a quarterback in the draft or trade for a veteran. While it will be difficult to replace Gardner and Williams, the Jets’ Darren Mougey-Aaron Glenn regime made the decision to cash in their top assets to launch a true rebuild — one that suddenly features plenty of QB ammo.
From the Colts’ perspective, Gardner brings an accomplished starter at a young age. Indianapolis received a player signed through 2030, though New York’s contract structure on the July extension limited the Gardner dead money to $19.75MM — far less than the Dolphins just took on for Ramsey or what the Saints absorbed upon trading Marshon Lattimore last year.
The Colts, after building from within for years, now have three high-cost DB contracts added this year in the Gardner accord and those given to Charvarius Ward and Camryn Bynum. Tied for the best record in the AFC (at 7-2), the Colts made a move and watched the Patriots, Broncos, Bills and Chiefs hold off on buyer’s trades.
Dallas’ stance is a bit more complicated. The Cowboys went from trading Micah Parsons for two first-rounders ahead of his age-26 season to acquiring Williams, who will turn 28 in December. The team still has three first-round picks between 2026 and ’27, but sending the higher-value ’27 first to the Jets strips away a prime asset for a player not on Parsons’ level.
Jerry Jones harped on the team’s run defense upon acquiring Kenny Clark in the Parsons trade, but that unit has faceplanted this season. Williams joins Clark and Osa Odighizuwa in a suddenly pricey Dallas D-tackle corps, and the longtime Jet had angled for a contract rework — something the Cowboys may now have to navigate.
The Cowboys also addedLogan Wilson, after trying to grabQuincy Williams from the Jets in a two-brother trade, but the younger Williams brother represents the obvious talking point here. Dallas’ interior D-line is well stocked. Will Quinnen Williams help transform a sub-.500 Cowboys team in the way Amari Cooper did after the team surrendered a first at the 2018 deadline?
Meyers will help the Jags replace Travis Hunter and provide some stability in a receiving corps also dealing with a Brian Thomas Jr. injury. Shaheed joins a surging Seattle squad, reuniting with 2024 New Orleans OC Klint Kubiak, and will be an interesting complementary piece for All-Pro candidate Jaxon Smith-Njigba. With Smith-Njigba, Shaheed, Cooper Kupp and rookie Tory Horton, the Seahawks look to have one of the NFL’s best receiving cadres.
Jacksonville also engaged in a cornerback swap, prying contract-year cover man Greg Newsomefrom the Browns in October. Newsome has started two games with the Jags and has incentive to perform well this season, as he is uncontracted for 2026. Tyson Campbell is signed through 2028, giving the Browns some cost certainty — albeit now carrying two upper-crust CB contracts, along with Denzel Ward‘s — at a premium position.
Cleveland did not aggressively sell, keeping its guards, David Njoku and other rumored trade assets, though they did do Joe Flacco a solid — to Mike Tomlin‘s chagrin — by trading the demoted QB within the division. Flacco immediately became the Bengals’ starter and has rejuvenated Cincy’s offense.
The Rams quietly bolstered their CB contingent by obtaining Titans contract-year slot playerRoger McCreary, while Tennessee also sent Dre’Mont Jones to Baltimore. The Ravens added Jones and Alohi Gilman, the latter becoming an immediate starter and helping maximize All-Pro Kyle Hamilton. Jones, who has 4.5 sacks this season, replaces Odafe Oweh — traded to the Chargers in the Gilman swap — in Baltimore’s OLB rotation. A former 3-4 defensive end, Jones gives Baltimore some pass rush options after Gilman supplied them with a deep safety. Gilman is also in a contract year.
While the Dolphins did not dive into full sales mode, retaining Jaylen Waddle and Bradley Chubb, after parting with longtime GM Chris Grier, they did obtain a third-round pick for Phillips — who is in his fifth-year option season. The Chargers also added two more trades before the 3pm buzzer Tuesday, most notably addingTrevor Penning — a three-position starter for the Saints — for a late 2027 draft choice. A contract-year blocker, Penning will be an option for a battered Bolts’ tackle corps.
The Steelers’ long-rumored wide receiver quest did not lead to a deal, but the team did add veteran safetyKyle Dugger, who had fallen out of favor with the Patriots despite signing an eight-figure-per-year extension as a transition-tagged player in 2024.
Who do you think did the best job at this year’s deadline? Vote in PFR’s latest poll and weigh in with your thoughts in the comments section.
The out-of-contention Dolphins didn’t orchestrate a fire sale before Tuesday’s trade deadline, but they also didn’t sit on their hands. Interim general manager Champ Kelly pulled off one significant move in sending outside linebacker Jaelan Phillips to the Eagles for a third-round pick.
It was no surprise the Dolphins cut ties with Phillips, a pending free agent. On the other hand, consideringZach Sieler signed a three-year, $67.75MM extension with Miami in August, parting with the defensive tackle would have raised eyebrows. Teams inquired about Sieler’s availability ahead of the deadline, but the Dolphins “weren’t entertaining” offers that didn’t involve a high Day 2 draft pick, NFL insider Jordan Schultz reports.
Sieler began his NFL career as a Ravens seventh-round pick in 2018 (Ozzie Newsome‘s last selection as their GM), but he didn’t blossom until he the joined the Dolphins on waivers in December 2019. The former Ferris State Bulldog began breaking out in 2020, and he impressed enough during the ensuing couple of seasons that ex-Dolphins GM Chris Grier signed him to a three year, $38.65MM extension in August 2023. Sieler responded with back-to-back 10-sack seasons, leading Grier to authorize the D-lineman’s latest extension last summer.
Grier is now out of the picture in Miami, having lost his job on Halloween after the team’s abysmal showing over the first several weeks of the season. Sieler has surprisingly been among the Dolphins’ struggling players during a 2-7 start. The 30-year-old hasn’t recorded a sack in 2025, while his three QB hits place him well behind his typical pace (he combined for 41 from 2023-24). Pro Football Focus ranks Sieler’s performance 91st out of 122 qualifying linemen.
While Sieler will finish the season in Miami, he could be a name to watch during the offseason. Unless the Dolphins promote Kelly to a full-time post, they’ll likely hire someone from outside to lead their front office. Should teams that were interested in Sieler before the deadline circle back to him in 2026, they may have a better chance to acquire him if Miami has a new regime.
The trade deadline has come and gone, and rumors continue to trickle in concerning details on potential trades that fell short. One of the latest such rumors concerns Baltimore’s search for a pass rusher which failed to yield a trade for Dolphins outside linebacker Bradley Chubb, an avenue the Ravens explored, according to Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic.
After finishing with the second-most sacks in the NFL in 2024, Baltimore’s defense has been unrecognizable from last year’s. Currently, the Ravens are tied with two other teams for the second-lowest sack total in the NFL. Their current sack leaders — Nnamdi Madubuike (2.0) and Tavius Robinson (2.0) — both currently sit on injured reserve; Madubuike has sat atop the Ravens’ sack leaderboard since hitting the IR after Week 2. Madubuike was joined on IR by fellow interior defender Broderick Washington.
Additionally, both of the team’s Penn State pass rushers are not available to them. Former first-round pick Odafe Oweh was traded to the Chargers in an exchange that brought safety Alohi Gilman to the secondary. Adisa Isaac, last year’s third-round pick, has yet to make his 2025 debut after only appearing in four games his rookie year. The team used one of two preseason designations to return from IR on Isaac, so he’s clearly expected to be a factor at some point this year, but nine weeks into the season, we haven’t even seen his 21-day practice window open.
There were plenty of attractive pass rushing options on the trade market. The Dolphins, alone, had three in Chubb, Jaelan Phillips, and Matt Judon. There were also big names coming out of New York — Quinnen Williams and Jermaine Johnson II — and a familiar name from Arizona in Calais Campbell. Some of these options were going to be much more expensive than the others, and the Ravens are known for valuing fit over pure talent.
A top-tier option like Williams was likely never on the table for Baltimore. Johnson and Phillips were going to be a stretch, as well, but they were certainly available for teams willing to shell out some higher draft picks. The Ravens opted for a middle-of-the-road option in Tennessee’s Dre’Mont Jones.
Over six years with the Broncos and Seahawks, Jones proved to be a middling performer with career highs of 6.5 sacks, nine tackles for loss, and 13 quarterback hits. Through only nine games with the Titans this season, Jones’ totals — 4.5 sacks, five tackles for loss, and nine quarterback hits — have him on pace to set some new career highs, especially considering he’ll get to 18 games by coming to Baltimore before the Titans’ bye week but after the Ravens’.
Chubb and Judon were seemingly around a similar tier as Jones — Judon less so, considering his age (33) and declining production over the past few years. Chubb is two years removed from his strongest season since his 12-sack rookie campaign, but one of those removed years was spent sitting out the 2024 season with a torn ACL. That wasn’t the only time Chubb has missed extensive time, either. Over his eight years in the NFL, Chubb has missed over half of the season three times. Considering that injuries are the reason Baltimore was shopping at this position at all, an injury history like Chubb’s may have weighed heavily on their ultimate decision.
The Dolphins could also have been a factor in the deal not getting done. Despite rumors of a fire sale following the departure of former general manager Chris Grier, when it came to the team’s major assets, there didn’t appear to be any discounts. According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, the Dolphins held firm on their asking prices, meaning that Chubb was not going to be a cheap acquisition.
Ultimately, it appears both Chubb and the Dolphins are pleased with how things played out. The Miami Herald’s Barry Jackson quoted Chubb talking about the conversations that interim general manager Champ Kelly made sure he was privy to. While Chubb got to stay in Miami for now, the team made no promises for what happens after the season.
Chubb’s contract has no more guarantees after this year, and base salaries over the next two years of $19.45MM and $18.48MM are accompanied by $31.2MM and $31.54MM cap hits. The prospect of inheriting a contract with such heavy commitments likely hindered Chubb’s tradability, as well. Ultimately, a release with a post-June 1 designation following the season has the potential to put Chubb back on the free agent market.
Leal, a third-round pick out of Texas A&M in 2022, has failed to live up to his draft stock thus far in the NFL. After only seeing game time in three games this year, he’s been waived to make room for the defensive tackle Pittsburgh signed off of the Chiefs’ practice squad yesterday.
Huzzie, after spending much of his rookie season on the reserve/non-football injury list, is being sent to waivers. Should he clear them, it’s expected that he’ll return to Houston on a practice squad deal.
