"We talked about building the foundation and building it up the right way. So that's all it is. There's no tanking."
It was not tanking, Miami Dolphins general manager Chris Grier said last March. The 'T' word might have made those in Miami's front office bristle but they were, at the very least, 'aggressively' rebuilding in a manner the NFL had never seen before. It was almost NBA-like.
So what did Miami do and will it pay off? Ahead of the 2020 NFL Draft - the key event in their rip-it-up-and-start-again process - we took a look.
GIVING GASE THE BOOT
After going 7-9 in 2018 and missing the playoffs for a second straight season, it was no surprise to see head coach Adam Gase fired, particularly as Miami's offense ranked 31st in total yardage and their defense was 29th.
Further changes came in the front office on the same day - New Year's Eve, 2018. Former New York Jets general manager Mike Tannenbaum had previously been in charge of football operations but that power was now in Grier's hands.
Brian Flores, who had been on the New England Patriots' staff when they won Super Bowl LIII, was hired as Gase's replacement.
ENDING THE TANNEHILL ERA
The first sign the Dolphins had their finger jammed firmly on the reset button was when they traded their starting quarterback Ryan Tannehill.
The 2012 first-round selection had experienced ups and downs during an injury-hit time in Miami and in March 2019 he was shipped to the Tennessee Titans for a fourth-rounder and a swap of late draft picks.
In the same month, veterans like Cameron Wake, Danny Amendola and Frank Gore were allowed to walk, Robert Quinn was traded and journeyman Ryan Fitzpatrick was signed as Tannehill's replacement.
TAKING A FLIER ON ROSEN
Compared to the Baker Mayfield-led class of 2018, the 2019 NFL Draft was considered light on potential starting quarterbacks and Miami only had the 13th overall pick.
With Kyler Murray and Daniel Jones already off the board, they passed on Dwayne Haskins - picked two spots later by the Washington Redskins - and went for defensive tackle Christian Wilkins.
Instead, Miami gave up a second-rounder and a fifth-round pick in 2020 to acquire Josh Rosen, a 2018 first-rounder who had been deemed surplus to requirements when the Arizona Cardinals landed Murray.
SO LONG, LAREMY
Miami were expected to struggle in 2019. After August 31, many wondered if they would even win a game at all.
Starting left tackle Laremy Tunsil, considered one of the foundations Miami could build around, was traded to the Houston Texans, along with receiver Kenny Stills, in a package that netted Miami first-round picks in 2021 and 2022.
It left them with a threadbare roster, though, and the Baltimore Ravens inflicted a humiliating 59-10 drubbing on the Dolphins in Miami in Week 1 having scored 42 points before half-time.
MINKAH'S ON HIS WAY TOO
A report emerged after that Ravens rout that "multiple Dolphins players" wanted to be traded too.
Later that month another star had gone: Minkah Fitzpatrick traded to the Pittsburgh Steelers for another first-round pick.
Prior to the trade deadline in October, Miami, who were still winless at the time, had parted with running back Kenyan Drake as they once again did business with the Cardinals.
2020: THE YEAR OF THE DOLPHIN?
Fears of 0-16 proved unfounded. The Dolphins went 5-11 and only had the NFL's fifth-worst record, which brings us to the NFL Draft and the next step in their 2020 rebuild.
Miami had the most cap space entering 2020 free agency and splashed the cash accordingly, making Byron Jones the NFL's highest-paid cornerback and bringing in Kyle Van Noy from the Patriots.
The rebuild can only truly be deemed a success or a failure after this month's draft, though.
Miami have the fifth, 18th and 26th picks. Crucially, Grier must find a franchise passer if this team is to get back above .500.