Former New York Jets general manager Mike Tannenbaum has been hired as executive vice president of football operations for the Miami Dolphins. Tannenbaum had been working for Dolphins owner Stephen Ross as a consultant since August in addition to his day job as a coaching agent (more on that below). Now, Tannenbaum returns to a lead football role. Here are some things to know as he prepares to take over in Miami.
1. Mike Tannenbaum's Jets tenure
Tannenbaum was the general manager of the New York Jets from 2007-12, a period during which the team compiled a 57-55 record, mostly on the strength of Rex Ryan's dominant defenses. Tannenbaum's Jets went to the playoffs three times, reaching the AFC title game twice in a row under Ryan in 2009 and 2010.
Tannenbaum drafted Darrelle Revis and Davis Harris in his first draft with the Jets, while he hit on Muhammad Wilkerson later in his tenure. However, he also selected Mark Sanchez the only time he picked a quarterback and whiffed on Vernon Gholston, Kyle Wilson and Stephen Hill (among others) and had a propensity to trade away draft picks.
In a league where teams are awarded seven selections a year, Tannenbaum's Jets made only 31 draft picks in seven years, an average of 4.4 per season. It's no wonder that by the time he was fired and replaced by the since-also-fired John Idzik, Tannenbaum left a roster that was woefully thin, especially on offense, where he failed to draft a single difference-maker in his tenure.
2. What happens to Dennis Hickey's role?
Mike Tannenbaum has been working for the Dolphins as a consultant since last August, and is now being elevated to the top role.
Dennis Hickey, meanwhile, was named the Dolphins' general manager before the 2014 season, taking over for Jeff Ireland as the top football man in the organization. Hickey had previously been with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers organization in some capacity since 1996, serving as a pro personnel assistant, college scout, director of college scouting and director of player personnel before leaving for Miami.
Hickey did a pretty solid job in the draft for Miami last year, scooping up right tackle Ju'Wuan James -- who started all 16 games -- and slot receiver Jarvis Landry, who turned into one of the best rookies in the NFL. The Dolphins also signed Brandon Albert, Brent Grimes, Cortland Finnegan and Knowshon Moreno in the 2014 offseason. Moreno got injured twice and missed most of the year, but Albert worked out very well (he graded as Pro Football Focus' eighth-best tackle) while Grimes and Finnegan played major roles in what was at times a very good Miami pass defense.
Hickey will now report to Tannenbaum, making for a somewhat crowded top of the organizational flowchart.
3. Tannenbaum represents Seahawks defensive coordinator Dan Quinn
After working for the Jets, Tannenbaum became a coaching agent for Priority Sports & Entertainment. As recently as last week, there were reports that Tannenbaum client Dan Quinn would be interviewing with the Jets and owner Woody Johnson would have to be negotiating with Tannenbaum.
Tannenbaum will continue to represent Quinn in his negotiations to possibly become a head coach, according to our Jason La Canfora.
Tannenbaum will continue to represent Dan Quinn. Ross has said he's not changing coaches. Some thought Quinn would emerge in Miami
— Jason La Canfora (@JasonLaCanfora) January 6, 2015
And the other part of La Canfora's report leads us to...
4. The Joe Philbin situation
While Hickey will report to Tannenbaum, Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald reports that head coach Joe Philbin will not.
Update to @MikeGarafolo and @alexmarvez report: Dennis Hickey will report to Tannenbaum. Joe Philbin will not.
— Adam Beasley (@AdamHBeasley) January 6, 2015
Dolphins owner Stephen Ross insisted after their Week 16 game that Philbin's job was safe, and La Canfora says the same, and now there's a report that Philbin will report directly to Ross. Nothing can possibly go wrong here.
