Dolphins rookie running back Ollie Gordon suffered an ankle injury during Thursday night’s loss to the Ravens, but it shouldn’t keep him sidelined for long.
Per Ian Rapoport of NFL Media, Gordon is considered day-to-day.
He’s set to miss limited time — if he misses any additional time at all. He had to exit Thursday’s contest in the first half.
Gordon, 21, has rushed for 122 yards on 40 carries with a touchdown. He’s also caught six passes for 30 yards with a TD.
The Dolphins parted ways with General Manager Chris Grier on Friday morning, but they are not making another change at head coach right now.
Mike McDaniel met with reporters at a press conference before news of Grier’s departure went public and Adam Schefter of ESPN reports that McDaniel will remain the team’s coach through at least the end of the regular season. McDaniel is in his fourth season with the Dolphins and he signed a contract extension in 2024 that keeps him tied to the team through the 2028 season.
The change in General Managers will make it less likely that McDaniel remains with the team through the end of that pact. It’s not unheard of for a team to keep a coach while hiring a new G.M., but the firing of Brian Callahan in Tennessee earlier this season is the latest in a long list of examples of how well that approach has generally worked out.
Thursday night’s loss to the Ravens dropped McDaniel’s record to 30-30 in the regular season. The Dolphins have also lost both playoff games they’ve played with McDaniel on the sideline.
A major change has come to the Miami Dolphins. The Dolphins have moved on from General Manager Chris Grier, one day after a 28-6 prime-time home loss to the Ravens that dropped Miami to 2-7.
“This morning, I made the decision along with general manager Chris Grier to mutually part ways,” owner Stephen Ross said in a statement. “I have incredible respect for Chris and his family, and I want to thank him for his many contributions to the Miami Dolphins over the past 26 years. “As I assessed the state of the team and in my discussions with Chris, it became clear to both of us that change could not wait. We must improve — in 2025, 2026 and beyond — and it needs to start right now.”
Grier was first hired by the Dolphins in 2000, predating the arrival of Stephen Ross as controlling owner by nearly a decade. Grier became the General Manager in 2016.
He has been heavily criticized for failing to build a consistently competitive roster. To make matters worse, Grier signed off on a long-term extension for quarterback Tua Tagovailoa that pays $150 million over three years, fully-guaranteed. The contract was offered and accepted at a time when the Dolphins could have allowed Tagovailoa to play under his fifth-year option at $23.2 million, with multiple franchise tags available beyond the 2024 season.
The Dolphins have announced that senior personnel executive Champ Kelly will serve as the interim G.M.
It’s a critical moment for the franchise. The trade deadline arrives in four days, and the Dolphins are squarely in “seller” mode.
Meanwhile, coach Mike McDaniel remains. For now. It seems inevitable that a change will be made, at the very latest when the current season ends.
After falling to 2-7 after Thursday night’s loss, the Dolphins could be sellers at the trade deadline. And three pass rushers could be on the trade block.
Dolphins pass rushers Jaelan Phillips, Bradley Chubb and Matt Judon all played on Thursday night and all know the game might be their last with the Dolphins, according to the Miami Herald.
“I understand the business of football,” Chubb said. “But at the end of the day, I love these guys. I got the C on my shirt for a reason.”
Phillips had similar sentiments.
“It’s out of my control. I would love to stay here,” Phillips said. “But if I get traded I get traded.”
The Dolphins look like they have a big rebuilding effort ahead of them, and trading away veteran players to get future draft picks could aid in that effort. The NFL trade deadline is four days away.
Thursday night’s loss led to another round of speculation about whether the Dolphins will make a coaching change, but dropping to 2-7 didn’t lead to a move before Mike McDaniel’s Friday press conference.
McDaniel met the media to discuss the 28-6 loss to the Ravens and one of the questions he fielded had to do with whether players are still listening to the message that he’s sending them as the head coach. Thursday night’s loss featured the kind of frustrated mistakes one would associate with a team that’s tuned out, but McDaniel said he does not believe that is the case.
“I would say so because they just used my messaging,” McDaniel said, via Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. “Understand the details are the nitty gritty. I think the message is getting through . . . sometimes those details are being lost in the heat of battle. We did it the week before, but didn’t do it this week.”
The Dolphins missed the playoffs last season and they’ve been even worse this season, so it feels like major changes are inevitable in Miami. Whether they start to happen before Tuesday’s trade deadline or the end of the regular season, it seems all but certain that there are going to be new messages and messengers at some point in 2026.
