For the first time in nearly a decade, the Dolphins are looking for an executive to run their front office.
General manager Chris Grier was relieved of his duties Friday morning, giving the Dolphins what could be an advantageous head start on gathering information in the search for his successor.
For now, Champ Kelly — who was hired by the Dolphins in March as a senior personnel executive — will fill the position on an interim basis and will guide the team through Tuesday’s trade deadline and the weeks ahead.
And while Kelly eventually could be in the running for the permanent job, there are other qualified candidates who assuredly will receive consideration.
It should be noted that candidates who are employed in the front offices of other teams cannot interview with the Dolphins or other teams until January, at the earliest.
With that said, here’s a list of some viable candidates to succeed Grier:
▪ Eagles assistant GM Alec Halaby: He’s among a handful of well-regarded potential candidates from the Eagles’ front office tree. All can take some credit for helping GM Howie Roseman build a consistently loaded roster.
A former starting quarterback at Harvard, Halaby began his career as an Eagles front office intern in 2008 and rose to the position of vice president of football operations and strategy in 2016, then was named assistant GM in 2022. Halaby has had several interviews for GM jobs, including with the Panthers and Commanders in 2024 and Jets in 2025.
SI.com’s Albert Breer said, in January, that “Halaby helped build perhaps the NFL’s best roster and has been integral for GM Howie Roseman in marrying traditional player evaluation to analytics within the team’s scouting department. Before graduating into a VP role, overseeing the team’s operations side, Halaby worked alongside Roseman, learning the scouting side as he went. With a Harvard education, and a deep background in analytics, he’s going to appeal to certain owners looking for a non-traditional hire.”
One of Ross’ key decisions will be whether to hire a young GM with an analytics background or a career scout and personnel executive, as Grier was before being promoted to GM in 2016.
▪ Steelers assistant GM Andy Weidl: He’s another one with Eagles connections, having previously served as the Eagles’ vice president of player personnel; he helped Roseman construct talented teams. Steelers GM Omar Kahn hired him as his assistant GM in May 2022. Khan said that he wanted Weidl on his staff because they had a long-standing professional relationship and he valued Weidl’s expertise as a strong evaluator.
▪ Chicago Bears assistant GM Ian Cunningham: Yet another Eagles front office graduate who warrants at least a conversation. (And keep in mind that Dolphins owner Stephen Ross and Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie have a good relationship, so Ross is well positioned to get feedback on the potential candidates with Eagles connections.)
After failing to make the Chiefs as an undrafted free agent, Cunningham joined the Ravens’ front office in 2008 and spent nine years there, including three as a scout. The Eagles hired him as director of college scouting in 2017 and he was promoted to assistant director of player personnel in 2019 and director of player personnel in 2021.
Cunningham in 2020 appeared on The Athletic’s “40 under 40” for those whom it considered “the rising stars shaping the direction of the NFL.” He joined the Bears as assistant GM in 2022 and has interviewed for general manager positions several times. In 2024, he was a finalist for the Commanders’ GM job that went to Adam Peters.
▪ Ravens vice president of football administration Nick Matteo: He interviewed for the Panthers’ GM job last year. “After his years with the Ravens, and the decade before that he spent working his way up within the NFL’s Management Council, the Penn alum is poised to take another step,” Breer wrote.
▪ Colts assistant general manager Ed Dodds: He spent eight years as a scout with the Seahawks, then two years as a senior personnel executive before taking a job as Indy’s vice president of player personnel in 2017. He was promoted to assistant GM a year later.
“He’s unbelievable when it comes to communicating with coaches and seeing the fit of the player,” Colts general manager Chris Ballard told the Colts’ web site. “Being able to watch the tape and know, ‘That guy is going to fit.’ Ed’s a huge asset to us. He’s pretty good at his job.”
▪ Browns assistant GM Glenn Cook: The former Miami Hurricanes linebacker has impressed people in Indianapolis, Cleveland and Green Bay. Cleveland’s lack of success during his 10 years there could work against him.
▪ Chargers assistant GM Chad Alexander: He spent 20 years working in personnel with the Ravens and then five years as the Jets’ player personnel director before joining Los Angeles in May 2024. “Alexander’s scouting acumen was known a decade ago in Baltimore, where he was hidden under a deep roster of Ravens scouts,” SI.com’s Breer wrote earlier this year.
▪ Cowboys vice president of player personnel Will McClay: He has turned down some interview opportunities elsewhere, including for Carolina’s GM job in 2024. He joined the Cowboys as a scout in 2002 and rose to his current position in 2017.
“In a lot of ways, he is the GM in Dallas and has been treated as such as one of the Joneses’ closest confidants,” Breer wrote. “A skilled evaluator who has coaching in his background, McClay has built a really well put together personnel department.”
▪ Lions assistant GM Ray Agnew: What stands out about Agnew is that he has done a little of everything.
Player. Player-development. Scout. Executive.
Now in his fifth season as the assistant general manager for the Lions, Agnew brings a unique set of experiences. Having worked closely alongside Brad Holmes, the general manager responsible for the Lions’ success for the last half decade, Agnew could be ready for his shot to run the whole show.
“Agnew continues to be a key asset in helping Holmes with roster construction and team building,” his team website biography reads. “His influence continues to be an integral in the roster construction and success of the club during his tenure.”
In his assessment of Agnew, Breer compared him to a name that has become synonymous with winning for some time in the NFL: former Ravens general manager Ozzie Newsome.
▪ Buccaneers assistant GM Mike Greenberg: Greenberg could be considered a cap guru of sorts.
The assistant general manager helped balance the books during Tom Brady’s Tampa Bay tenure, allowing the team to not only land the superstar quarterback but also build the surrounding roster.
Just look at the players that Greenberg played a role in signing: linebacker Lavonte David, tight end Rob Gronkowski, defensive lineman Ndamukong Suh.
And when it was time for a reset, Greenberg kept the roster competitive. The 2024 offseason could be considered Greenberg’s biggest haul as he retained David, wide receiver Mike Evans, quarterback Baker Mayfield and safety Antoine Winfield Jr.
Bottom line: He has made good decisions on what players to retain.
▪ Packers vice-president of player personnel Jon-Eric Sullivan: The son of longtime receivers coach Jerry Sullivan, Jon-Eric has a unique eye for talent.
Case in point: He was the first Packers official to put Mountain West Conference second teamer Jordan Love on Packers general manger Brian Gutenkunst’ radar, per Breer.
More than that, Sullivan, similar to Agnew, has playing experience – albeit in college – and worked his way up to the vice-president of player development after initially entering the league as a scout.
“Jon-Eric Sullivan has proven himself an exceptional evaluator, a strong link between scouting and coaching and a valuable safety net for Gutekunst on anything in the draft or free agency,” Breer wrote. “Sullivan’s been involved in the cap too, had a voice in the coaching search that landed Matt LaFleur and even has been looped in on things like player discipline and strength-and-conditioning.”
▪Former GMs who are no longer GMs include Scott Pioli (Chiefs), Thomas Dimitroff (Falcons), Ryan Grigson (Colts), Jon Robinson (Titans), George Kokinis (who was fired, at 1-7, in one year as Browns GM and has been a key part of Baltimore’s front office for the past 15 years), Rick Spielman (former Dolphins and Vikings GM; a reunion here is highly unlikely), Mark Dominik (Tampa Bay) and Brian Gaine (Texans, formerly with the Dolphins), among others.
This story was originally published November 1, 2025 at 9:30 AM.
C. Isaiah Smalls II
Miami Herald
C. Isaiah Smalls II is a sports and culture writer who covers the Miami Dolphins. In his previous capacity at the Miami Herald, he was the race and culture reporter who created The 44 Percent, a newsletter dedicated to the Black men who voted to incorporate the city of Miami. A graduate of both Morehouse College and Columbia Graduate School of Journalism, Smalls previously worked for ESPN’s Andscape.
Barry Jackson
Miami Herald
Barry Jackson has written for the Miami Herald since 1986 and has written the Florida Sports Buzz column since 2002.
