MIAMI _ The Dolphins have looked like two teams this year.
For most of the season, they appeared destined for the No. 1 pick _ selling eventual Pro Bowlers for draft picks, getting blown out by 49 at home and, for intents and purposes, tanking. Then, at times, there was the team that competed _ beating the probable NFC East champions, winning the Burrow Bowl in overtime and getting the moral victory over ex-Fins coach Adam Gase's Jets.
All of this amounted to an organization that seemed without direction. That, however, doesn't appear to be the case. Per general manager Chris Grier, their plan was simple.
"Let's see how much draft capital we can accumulate and use that going forward, however we see fit. It allows free agency, trades, movement up and down draft day and the following year in the draft," Grier told The Ringer's Kevin Clark. "Draft capital, in this day and age, is very important. So for us, we established from day one we tried to get as much as we could."
This, in a sense, worked. The Dolphins have made roughly 60% more transactions than the average NFL team and used the most players in NFL history. While these moves scream "tanking," Grier would consider it differently.
"You really can't tank in our sport," Grier said. "It's such a physical game, and to go ask players to go out there and not try to win games and get beat up is the complete wrong idea of what you're trying to establish in football."
What the Fins have done _ stockpiling picks instead of racing to the bottom _ could prove successful. There's no way to predict whether Joe Burrow can bring Cincinnati its first Super Bowl title, something that only two quarterback selected number one overall (Eli and Peyton Manning) have done since the turn of the century.
Despite fans lamenting the Dolphins' inability to even lose properly, the team has followed Grier's plan to a tee. Their season may end on Sunday but a franchise-defining offseason lies ahead.
The draft picks and cap space are there. It's just up to the front office to use them correctly.
