MIAMI _ The news that Josh Grizzard will replace Karl Dorrell as the Dolphins' wide receivers coach went over well with the players Grizzard will now lead.
DeVante Parker, who had a career year under Dorrell in 2019, retweeted the Dolphins' official announcement with the comment, "Yessir."
But there's another important angle to the story that went a bit under the radar:
Who will take on Dorrell's responsibilities as assistant head coach?
The answer is not one person, but two.
Brian Flores is elevating the roles of both special teams coordinator Danny Crossman and tight ends coach George Godsey. Each will work closely with Flores on important aspects of game management like timeouts and challenges, both during the week and on Sundays.
The bump in rank was warranted. A case could be made that, along with Dorrell, they were Flores' most effective assistants in 2019.
It's not a stretch to say that Crossman made the most of an unprecedented situation. More than 80 different players saw the field for Miami in 2020, many of them on special teams. And yet the Dolphins allowed just one return touchdown and fewer than 800 return yards all season.
But Crossman's biggest impact on the game was his ability to draw up effective fakes and trick plays, most notably the Mountaineer Shot _ the touchdown pass from punter Matt Haack to kicker Jason Sanders, which won the NFL's play of the year.
Meanwhile, Godsey played a big part in Mike Gesicki's emergence. After a quiet rookie season, Gesicki ranked 12th among tight ends in receiving yards (57) and receptions (51). His five touchdowns tied for fifth-most for his position.
Godsey, Crossman and Grizzard are three of the Dolphins' 10 returning assistants from 2019 after Flores' staff endured a tumultuous couple of months.
The team this offseason replaced its assistant head coach (Dorrell, now the head coach at Colorado), its offensive coordinator (Chad O'Shea, replaced by Chan Gailey) and defensive coordinator (Patrick Graham, replaced by Josh Boyer).
