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Miami Dolphins

Composite skill θ for every GM in Miami Dolphins history, alongside the team's regular-season W-L and playoff result by year.

Years covered
1980–2025
first → last draft
GMs
8
tenures, newest first
Best θ
+1.26
Jimmy Johnson
Worst θ
-0.40
Randy Mueller

θ trajectory by GM

Each line is one GM's support estimate at successive season-end snapshots, color-coded by tenure. Lines carry forward past a GM's tenure: drafted players' careers keep playing out, so the model keeps revising its read of an old GM long after they're gone (a 7th-round flier turning into a Pro Bowler in year 6 still credits the GM who drafted him). Background bands mark each GM's actual tenure span. These paths show evidence accumulating over time; they are not the maturity-adjusted headline ranking and deliberately do not display a public interval.

-1.0-0.5+0.0+0.5+1.0+1.5'80'85'90'95'00'05'10'15'20'25θ (SD units)
Chris Grier2016–2025θ -0.20
Dennis Hickey2014–2015θ -0.37
Jeff Ireland2008–2013θ -0.31
Randy Mueller2005–2007θ -0.40
Rick Spielman2002–2004θ -0.12
Dave Wannstedt2000–2001θ +0.02
Jimmy Johnson1996–1999θ +1.26
Don Shula1980–1995θ +0.12

General managers (8) · newest first

2016–2025
θ -0.20
BAD
Promoted to GM Jan 2016
YearW-L-TPlayoffsθ snapshot
201610-6Lost WC-0.03
20176-10Missed-0.08
20187-9Missed-0.00
20195-11Missed-0.18
202010-6Missed+0.10
20219-8Missed+0.08
20229-8Lost WC+0.06
202311-6Lost WC-0.03
20248-9Missed-0.26
20257-10Missed-0.30
2014–2015
θ -0.37
TERRIBLE
NA
YearW-L-TPlayoffsθ snapshot
20148-8Missed+0.05
20156-10Missed-0.06
2005–2007
θ -0.40 *
TERRIBLE
GM
YearW-L-TPlayoffsθ snapshot
20059-7Missed-0.13
20066-10Missed-0.16
20071-15Missed-0.20
2000–2001
θ +0.02
AVERAGE
HC with final say; pre-Spielman GM era
YearW-L-TPlayoffsθ snapshot
200011-5Lost Divisional+0.02
200111-5Lost WC+0.04
1996–1999
θ +1.26 **
ELITE
HC with final say
YearW-L-TPlayoffsθ snapshot
19968-8+0.07
19979-7+0.14
199810-6+0.38
19999-7Lost Divisional+0.72
1980–1995
θ +0.12
GOOD
HC + de facto draft head; entire MIA tenure 1980-1995 (retired Jan 1996)
YearW-L-TPlayoffsθ snapshot
19808-8
198111-4-1-0.03
19827-2+0.05
198312-4+0.20
198414-2+0.56
198512-4+0.59
19868-8+0.68
19878-7+0.79
19886-10+0.75
19898-8+0.60
199012-4+0.67
19918-8+0.60
199211-5+0.62
19939-7+0.66
199410-6+0.72
19959-7+0.81

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