GM Chris Grier Likely To Remain With Dolphins; Frank Gore Wants To Return To Miami In 2019
- We have heard that the Dolphins could be in for a major overhaul this offseason, and like his colleagues, La Canfora believes that owner Stephen Ross could part ways with vice president of football operations Mike Tannenbaum and head coach Adam Gase. However, La Canfora reports that Ross thinks highly of general manager Chris Grier — who holds the GM title but who does not have final authority over football decisions — and that Grier is likely to remain with Miami. If the Dolphins do go searching for a new executive this offseason to replace Tannenbaum, Vikings assistant GM George Paton would be near the top of the list, as we heard earlier this month.
- Dolphins running back Frank Gore, whose season came to a premature end due to a mid-foot sprain, has already indicated he wants to play in 2019. And, as Safid Deen of the South Florida Sun Sentinel writes, Gore wants to return to Miami. Given the surprising success that he had with his hometown Dolphins this year, Gore may get his wish.
Dolphins Eyeing Major Changes?
While the Dolphins still have a chance at making the postseason, there are whispers that some major members of the organization could still lose their jobs. Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald writes that coaches and front office staff are quietly trying to “solidify their power” in case owner Stephen Ross decides to make major changes this offseason. Sources tell Salguero that vice president of football operations Mike Tannenbaum and head coach Adam Gase are among those on the hot seat.
Among Ross’s top trio of football executives, Salguero says Tannenbaum is the most likely to get fired. The 49-year-old joined the organization back in 2015, and he’s been a major “facilitator of what the Dolphins have decided their philosophy will be,” which includes fielding a competitive team while building for the future. General manager Chris Grier reports to Tannenbaum, and the executive “oversees and coordinates the effort of football operations and administration.”
Working against Tannenbaum has been the team’s middling record since he joined the organization; the team is 23-23 since he took on a major role, and the team’s future outlook isn’t all that encouraging. Working in his favor is his relationship with Dolphins vice chairman Matt Higgins, who has the ear of Ross. The two have a relationship dating back to their tenure with the Jets, and Higgins has been Tannenbaum’s “most powerful ally and advocate” in Miami.
Meanwhile, Gase has refused to publicly blame injuries or talent for the team’s 7-7 record. However, sources tell Salguero that the head coach is quietly attributing his team’s performance to injuries, and that has been one of Gase’s main reasons for why he should ultimately keep his job. Gase has the support of both Grier and team vice chairman, president and CEO Tom Garfinkel, and he also has a good relationship with Tannenbaum.
Unfortunately for Gase, he doesn’t have a similar relationship with Higgins, who some believe may be pushing for a replacement. Salguero also points out that Ross wouldn’t be afraid to replace the head coach, even though Gase is still owed millions of dollars.
The Dolphins, who currently sit as the AFC’s ninth seed, will face off against the Jaguars and Bills in their final two regular season contests.
Cameron Wake Wants To Re-Sign With Dolphins
Cameron Wake has spent the majority of his professional career with the Dolphins, and the impending free agent told Joe Schad of the Palm Beach Post that he’s hoping to stick around Miami. However, Wake also cautioned that he wouldn’t be afraid to sign elsewhere.
“Another jersey?” Wake said. “Ideally, no. But I mean, again, if option number one is not in my favor and they don’t want me but I can still play and I can still provide and still enjoy it whatever needs to happen. If it makes sense then I’ll do it. If it doesn’t then I won’t.”
We heard earlier this month that the Dolphins wanted to extend their veteran defensive end last offseason, but nothing ever materialized. That sentiment probably hasn’t changed, as Wake has plenty productive in 2018. While Miami initially intended to limit the 36-year-old’s snaps, Wake has still been plenty productive, compiling 30 tackles, 4.5 sacks, and one forced fumble in 12 games. Pro Football Focus also ranks Wake 15th among 106 eligible edge defenders.
After going undrafted out of Penn State in 2005, Wake briefly caught on with the Giants before landing in the Canadian Football League. He earned a roster spot with the Dolphins in 2009, and he’s proceeded to play the past 10 seasons in Miami. Wake has earned five Pro Bowl selections, one First-Team All-Pro nod, and three Second-Team All-Pro selections during his career, and his 96.5 sacks rank second in franchise history (behind Jason Taylor).
Wake also acknowledged that he’s considered retirement, but his production in 2018 makes him think he could still be productive in 2019.
“You think about it all the time,” Wake said. “That’s the unfortunate part of the game. Whether it be physical or mental, it’s tough. It’s a tough gig. But at the end of the day, today, I still feel good, and I still feel like I can help. Will that be the case in April? I’d like to think so.”
Minor NFL Transactions: 12/21/18
Today’s minor moves will be posted here:
Miami Dolphins:
- Promoted from practice squad: S Maurice Smith
- Waived: OL Hroniss Grasu
New England Patriots
- Promoted from practice squad: DL Ufomba Kamalu
Frank Gore Wants To Play In 2019
Although he will miss the remainder of the season after suffering a foot sprain in Week 15, Dolphins running back Frank Gore will not require surgery, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). Additionally, Gore has indicated that he wants to return for a 15th NFL campaign in 2019, tweets Adam Schefter of ESPN.com.
Gore will become a free agent next spring after inking a one-year deal with the Dolphins this past March, so Miami will need to decide if its interested in retaining the veteran back. The Dolphins have younger, intriguing backs on their roster, but thus far, they’ve shown little confidence in Kenyan Drake, while rookie Kalen Ballage only first topped four carries in a single game this past Sunday. Gore’s pact contained a league minimum salary last time around, and a 2019 accord would likely come in around the same figure.
Even at age-35, Gore somewhat astoundingly became Miami’s featured back, leading the club’s runners in carries with 156. Gore managed 4.6 yards per rush on those attempts, and also graded out as the Dolphins’ best pass-blocker, per Pro Football Focus. Football Outsiders’ metrics lauded Gore as well, as he ranked as a top-20 back in DYAR, DVOA, and success rate.
If Gore does play next year, he’ll get another shot to make his way up the NFL’s record books. He currently sits fourth all-time in rushing yardage, but he’d be able to surpass Barry Sanders for third by posting even a modest 2019 season. Gore could also jump a few spots in the league’s rushing touchdown ledger — right now, he’s tied with Tony Dorsett for 22nd with 77 scores on the ground.
Minor NFL Transactions: 12/19/18
Today’s minor moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Waived: LB Jonathan Anderson
Carolina Panthers
- Promoted from practice squad: QB Kyle Allen, TE Jason Vander Laan
Miami Dolphins
- Placed on injured reserve: RB Frank Gore (story)
New York Giants
- Activated from injured reserve: WR Cody Latimer (story)
Tennessee Titans
- Promoted from practice squad: CB Kenneth Durden
Washington Redskins
- Promoted from practice squad: DB Jeremy Reaves
- Placed on injured reserve: CB Danny Johnson
Minor NFL Transactions: 12/18/18
Here are Tuesday’s minor moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Promoted from practice squad: CB Chris Jones, CB Deatrick Nichols
- Waived: CB Dontae Johnson, CB Quinten Rollins
Atlanta Falcons
- Promoted from practice squad: RB Jeremy Langford
Buffalo Bills
- Signed off 49ers’ practice squad: WR Victor Bolden
- Placed on IR: RB Marcus Murphy
Cincinnati Bengals
- Promoted from practice squad: LB Chris Worley
- Placed on IR: LB Malik Jefferson
Detroit Lions
- Promoted from practice squad: DT John Atkins
- Placed on IR: DL Da’Shawn Hand
Green Bay Packers
- Signed off Jaguars’ practice squad: WR Allen Lazard
Miami Dolphins
- Signed off Panthers’ practice squad: DT Kendrick Norton
New York Giants
- Placed on IR: CB Antonio Hamilton
New York Jets
- Signed off Patriots’ practice squad: T Eric Smith
Oakland Raiders
- Promoted from practice squad: DB Rico Gafford, DT Gabe Wright
- Waived: LB Emmanuel Lamur
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed: DB Tyvis Powell
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed off Jaguars’ practice squad: RB Bo Scarbrough
- Placed on IR: G Jordan Simmons
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Promoted from practice squad: TE Donnie Ernsberger, DL Jeremiah Ledbetter
- Placed on IR: TE Alan Cross, S Justin Evans
Washington Redskins
- Signed: DB Harlan Miller
- Placed on IR: CB Joshua Holsey
Frank Gore To Miss Rest Of Season
Fourth on the NFL’s all-time rushing list, Frank Gore will not have any additional chances to add to his historic total this season.
The Dolphins running back will be out the rest of the way with a mid-foot sprain suffered Sunday, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports (on Twitter). Monday tests revealed the extent of this injury, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets, and Gore’s first season with his hometown team will end after 14 games.
It’s uncertain as to whether Gore will require surgery, with Rapoport adding that decision won’t come for a bit. The bigger question pertains to Gore’s future. He is 35 (36 in May) and playing on an expiring contract. But few NFL running backs have ever exhibited this kind of durability and consistency. Gore has not missed a game since the 2010 season and has only failed to hit the 14-game barrier in one of his 14 NFL seasons.
He said in November he was going year-to-year with his career. Despite his age, it would not be surprising if Gore was back for a 15th season. A return would give Gore (14,748 yards) a reasonable chance at surpassing Barry Sanders for third place on the all-time rushing list.
With Miami this year, Gore bounced back and finished his slate with 722 rushing yards. That’s the fifth-most by anyone in an age-35 season, behind John Riggins, John Henry Johnson, Emmitt Smith and Marcus Allen. While that does not eclipse his Colts totals — 900-plus ground yards in each of those three campaigns — Gore was better on a per-play basis. His 4.6 yards per carry are the most since his 2012 Pro Bowl season. Gore leads the Dolphins in rushing by a substantial margin over backfield mate Kenyan Drake.
Drake and rookie Kalen Ballage will be the primary backs going forward for the Dolphins, who remain in playoff contention. Though, with three 8-6 teams, the 7-7 Fins need a lot of help if they are to make it two postseason berths in the past three years.
Frank Gore To Undergo MRI On Monday
Dolphins running back Frank Gore left Sunday’s 41-17 loss to the Vikings early with a left ankle injury. The veteran back sprained his foot on the play but avoided a fracture, and is scheduled to undergo an MRI to see if any ligaments were damaged, ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweets.
This means his 122-game starting streak, the longest in the league among running backs, is more than likely to end next week. According to Cameron Wolfe of ESPN, the next-longest starting streak by a running back is just 17, held by Christian McCaffrey and Peyton Barber.
Gore, 35, finished the day with 14 yards on five carries, and was replaced by rookie Kalen Ballage, who exploded for 123 yards on 12 carries and scored on a 75-yard run. The Dolphins will likely return to the Arizona State product and Kenyan Drake to close the season, assuming Gore is to miss time.
It’s been another steady year for the veteran back, who moved into fourth place on the NFL’s all-time rushing yards list, passing Curtis Martin. Set to be a free agent at the end of the season, Gore could seriously contemplate retirement or hope to land with another team to make a run at Barry Sanders — Just 521 yards away — for the No. 3 spot.
Dolphins Owner Undecided On 2019 Changes
The Dolphins are now in the midst of another middling season after falling to 7-7 with a defeat against the Vikings today, but franchise owner Stephen Ross is undecided whether to make changes to Miami’s decision-making structure at the end of the year, a source tells Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk.
After losing to the Vikings, the Dolphins now have just a nine percent chance to earn a postseason berth, according to Five Thirty Eight, meaning they face far steeper odds than the other contenders for the AFC’s No. 6 seed. The Ravens have a 62% chance to make the playoffs (although that figure includes Baltimore’s still-realistic shot at taking the AFC North crown), while the Colts and Titans have roughly 42% and 33% odds of securing the sixth seed, respectively.
Assuming they don’t make the playoffs this season, the Dolphins will have missed the postseason in two consecutive campaigns following a 10-6 record and wild card berth in head coach Adam Gase‘s debut in 2016. As Florio notes, effort doesn’t seem to be a problem in South Beach (a definite plus for Gase), while the third-year coach has been effective in his quest to change the locker room culture in Miami. But without a sustained record of on-field success, a change at the top could be possible.
Gase, presumably, wouldn’t be the only Dolphins leader who could be out of job this offseason, as vice president of football operations Mike Tannenbaum and general manager Chris Grier could also be on the chopping block. However, as Florio indicates, Miami has had trouble adding top-shelf talent at both the executive and coaching level, so the club may not want to move on from its current staff only to find it can’t replace them with superior individuals.