Being a NFL general manager is often an underappreciated job, but they're the ones often most responsible for determining how good - or bad - you team is. Some franchises (like the Patriots, Packers and Seahawks, among others) are set in the front office. Others might want to start thinking about making some changes sooner rather than later. Here's our list of the 10 worst general managers in the NFL right now (excluding first-year GMs who haven't gotten a chance to really prove themselves).
10) Trent Baalke, San Francisco 49ers
Baalke has seen his share of success, building the 49ers team that made it to three straight NFC title games. However, the 49ers have been an absolute train wreck since then, and no boast one of the worst rosters in the entire league. He takes a good chunk of the blame for that.
9) Thomas Dimitroff, Atlanta Falcons
Dimitroff has won two Executive of the Year awards, but he has never put together a Super Bowl-caliber roster. He has always done just good enough, and now several bad drafts and poor offseasons have turned the Falcons into a below average team.
8) Rick Smith, Houston Texans
Smith gets a lot of credit doing well with the Texans, building a very good defense and reliable skill position players. Houston has just never been able to make it over the top and become a real contender because they have never had a good quarterback - a problem that also falls on Smith. It also caused him to throw a lot of money at Brock Osweiler.
7) David Caldwell, Jacksonville Jaguars
Jacksonville's rebuild has been a slow burn under Caldwell, yet you can see them moving in the right direction. They have talented young players all over the field, and they've used their cap space to sign a few quality free agents. Still, the wins need to follow.
6) Doug Whaley, Buffalo Bills
The jury is still out on Whaley. He has made a few good moves, like signing Tyrod Taylor, but the team hasn't improved record-wise since he took over in 2013. Of course, they also haven't gotten worse, so that counts for something.
5) Howie Roseman, Philadelphia Eagles
Roseman and former coach Chip Kelly place blame on each other for Philadelphia's disastrous moves (like signing DeMarco Murray and Byron Maxwell) over the last few years. I blame Roseman because he either made those moves, or stood by while he watched Kelly make those moves. Neither is good.
4) Les Snead, Los Angeles Rams
Snead made one of the best trades in NFL history, giving up the No. 2 pick (that turned into Robert Griffin III) for a ton of draft picks. At the same time, he was on the opposite end of a similar trade by moving up to draft Jared Goff. Because there haven't been any playoff berths, he ranks this low.
3) Tom Telesco, San Diego Chargers
The Chargers seem to have a pretty solid starting lineup on both sides of the ball, but they can never stay healthy. That's not Telesco's fault, but it is his job to give this team depth - something he obviously hasn't done.
2) Mike Tannenbaum/Chris Grier, Miami Dolphins
Grier is Miami's official general manager, but Tannenbaum is the guy who calls almost all of the shots. Almost all of the moves they have made have been terrible - overpaying Ndamukong Suh, giving Tannehill an extension, trading for the aforementioned Maxwell and Kiko Alonso, letting Lamar Miller walk in free agency, etc. etc. etc. You get the picture.
1) Ryan Grigson, Indianapolis Colts
The Colts have had success since Grigson took over, but that's more about Andrew Luck and the team that was in place when Grigson took over in 2012 and it is about Grigson. Indy's defense has gotten worse every season and the offensive line is a joke - both of which he has refused to improve so he can make poor additions to their receiving core (like Phillip Dorsett and Andre Johnson - now with the Titans).
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