Through four weeks of the NFL season, Miami Dolphins fans are on the verge of throwing in the towel on 2024. Adding more salt into the proverbial open wound was the loss of Jaelan Phillips for the year due to a knee injury.
The Dolphins had a backup plan should Phillips not be ready to go. They signed Shaq Barrett during the offseason. They selected Chop Robinson in Round 1 of the draft. They got great medical reports on Phillips' rehabilitation, but Chris Grier always does "Chris Grier" things, and this offseason, he made one mistake that would have made losing Phillips a lot less devastating.
Instead of adding Barrett because he wanted to be "cheaper," Grier should have re-signed Andrew Van Ginkel. The Dolphins never made an offer per reports and AVG rejoined his former head coach Brian Flores, now the DC with the Vikings. So far, Van Ginkel is doing exactly what he always does. He makes game-changing plays.
The Dolphins should have never let Andrew Van Ginkel leave in free agency
The Dolphins, on the other hand, watched Barrett walk away from the team before camp and retire. They knew Robinson was going to be a project and needed to build a better pass-rushing resume. They even tried to trade with a division rival to add another edge-rusher.
None of the question marks surrounding an aging veteran, a rookie edge-rusher with potential, or the injury history of Phillips apparently played into Grier's decisions. On the other hand, a player who has been relatively healthy, a former draft pick of the Dolphins, and a guy who plays consistently physically wasn't what Grier wanted.
Miami let a reasonably-paid veteran leave for reasons only they know. It doesn't make much sense, but what does make sense is if Van Ginkel had been re-signed, the defense would look a little different. Grier didn't make the move and now the Dolphins are facing the consequences.
