Dolphins GM Discusses Roster Moves

Miami Dolphins General Manager Chris Grier explained the reasons behind some of the reasoning behind the moves to get down to the 53-player roster limit

General Manager Chris Grier met the media Tuesday to discuss the moves the Miami Dolphins made to get down to the NFL-mandated roster limit of 53 players.

Here were the main takeaways from that media session:

-- The first question involves rookie tight end Tanner Conner and Grier said he was among the team's 30 visit. Grier says the Dolphins felt they would lose him if they exposed him to waivers.

-- Grier says Conner or Eric Rowe, who has been out of practice for a while, will not be going on short-term IR.

-- Grier and head coach Mike McDaniel both say keeping Skylar Thompson on the 53 pretty much was a no-brainer.

-- With Byron Jones, Grier said. he and McDaniel spoke with him today and ultimately made the decision to put him on Reserve/PUP.

-- Grier says he feels good about the cornerback position and doesn't feel there's a critical need at the moment.

-- McDaniel says he's excited about what he's seen from Greg Little and also where starting tackles Terron Armstead and Greg Little are at this stage of the summer.

-- Grier is asked whether he feels this is a championship-caliber roster and says he feels good about the roster without addressing the "championship" aspect of the question.

-- Grier says. he likes the growth he's seen in Tua Tagovailoa and he looks like he's enjoying himself.

-- Kader Kohou made the team as a rookie free agent, and McDaniel called him a "competitor." Adds the game is not too big for him.

-- McDaniel calls the competition at running back "brutal." Says it was the whole progression from the onset. "Sony did not make it easy." Adds he was impressed with how Salvon Ahmed and Myles Gaskin responded when the Dolphins signed running backs in the offseason.

-- Grier says Tyreek Hill has been "even better than we thought" behind the scenes. Talks about Hill's contagious attitude. McDaniel says, "It was obvious he recognized the opportunity."

-- Grier is asked about the NFL punishment and the loss of the 2023 first-round pick and answers, as expected, that he's not focused on that but rather on the 2022 team.

-- The Dolphins were looking at somebody with Trey Flowers' skill set in terms of being able to line up all along the defensive line and rush the passer. Also helped that Flowers has a lot of familiarity with the Dolphins scheme and some players.

-- Grier says the Dolphins did not make any calls about Mike Gesicki, says two teams called the Dolphins about making a trade for him. Grier says, "I'll always listen, but that doesn't mean we're going to do anything." It's kind of like we suggested before, the Dolphins never were looking to trade Gesicki but they would consider it if they got an offer they couldn't refuse. And that applies to any player.

-- "If you're holding your breath for a player taken in the seventh round to play liked he did in the preseason, you're going to pass out." That's Mike McDaniel explaining why the Dolphins kept Skylar Thompson.