Dolphins’ brass picks up a silver lining in pathetic loss to Browns that they shouldn’t be allowed to enjoy
The path for Stephen Ross is crystal clear after Sunday, if it wasn’t before.
The Miami Dolphins’ disastrous 2025 season sank to a level that feels like a new low even for this downtrodden franchise. Miami got clobbered by the (previously) one-win Cleveland Browns, led by rookie quarterback Dillon Gabriel, 31-6, on Sunday afternoon in Northeast Ohio.
It’s hard to describe just how sad a loss this is for the Dolphins. Gabriel and the Browns’ passing attack couldn’t do anything downfield last week against Pittsburgh, and with the weather conditions strongly favoring ground attacks, Miami let Cleveland RB Quinshon Judkins make a big impact with 84 rushing yards and three rushing scores, the longest coming from 46 yards.
The result of the loss? Well, for those looking for some positives (don’t strain your eyes), hey, the Dolphins are now up to the No. 2 spot in the projected 2026 NFL Draft order.
Miami Dolphins are up to No. 2 in the 2026 NFL Draft order, and it’s a potential benefit no one in the front office should be allowed to screw up
With the loss, Miami is tied with New Orleans and Tennessee for the second-worst record in the league, but the tiebreaker goes in favor of Miami with an opponent winning percentage of just .486. The New York Jets, who the Dolphins perhaps unfortunately beat earlier this season in a game where they also lost Tyreek Hill, hold the top spot at 0-7 and would pick first.
At what point is enough enough for owner Stephen Ross? Chris Grier’s time as the general manager should be coming to an end after a decade of complete futility. Misses on the offensive line in particular have crippled this franchise for years, and the hubris he had to chuckle at the media and those who questioned him about it in recent years only made it worse.
He is also tied to QB Tua Tagovailoa, who has shown he can only succeed when everything is perfect around him, and that’s not how things go in the NFL. Now, the Dolphins are stuck on the hook for his $212.4 million extension that has hamstrung any ability to upgrade other areas that desperately need a makeover, another part of Grier’s lasting legacy.
The Grier and Mike McDaniel joint project is done. It’s failed. Opportunity is there for a sweeping overhaul starting in 2026, and it needs to happen. But it needs to be directed by a fresh decision maker in the front office and a new voice inside the locker room and team facility.
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