Jeff Ireland Reportedly Hired by Seahawks as Pre-Draft Consultant

After a tumultuous tenure as Miami Dolphins general manager, Jeff Ireland is reportedly back in the game with the Seattle Seahawks.

According to Alex Marvez of FoxSports.com, the defending Super Bowl champions have hired Ireland as a front office consultant with the 2014 NFL draft looming on May 8.

Although it is unclear if Ireland will land a permanent job with the Seahawks, this is certainly a good first step.

Ireland and the Dolphins parted ways following the 2013 season after six years on the job. Although he helped lead Miami to an AFC East title in 2008, things went downhill from there.

Miami was in position to secure a playoff spot last season, but they lost their final two games in embarrassing fashion, which proved to be the final nail in the coffin for Ireland.

Despite his departure, Ireland was thankful for the opportunity the Dolphins provided him with, per James Walker of ESPN.com.

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I've spent the last six years with the best organization in football. (Dolphins owner) Steve (Ross) and I came to an agreement that the best thing moving forward for all parties would be to part ways. I'd like to thank Steve for all his support and kindness. I've had the opportunity to work with some of the most amazing people during this time and I'd like to thank them all from the bottom of my heart.

"

Ireland had to deal with plenty of controversy in 2013 stemming from the bullying scandal involving Richie Incognito and Jonathan Martin. Because of that, the writing was pretty much on the wall for Ireland in terms of his future with the franchise.

Now Ireland has been given a clean slate, and he will have a chance to make an impact for what many consider to be the NFL's model organization. The Seahawks will select No. 32 overall in the draft after winning the Super Bowl, and they could potentially get even better than they were last year.

The Seahawks don't necessarily have any glaring needs, so Ireland and the rest of the front office brass can afford to take a best-available-player approach.

That should suit Ireland well since Omar Kelly of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel believes that Ireland's biggest weakness as Dolphins general manager was his penchant for chasing positional need in the draft:

Even though the Dolphins didn't have a ton of success under Ireland, there is no question that he helped bring in a lot of talent.

Maybe Ireland isn't cut out for a general manager position, but he can still be valuable as a talent evaluator. Seahawks general manager John Schneider is smart enough to know that he needs to surround himself with knowledgeable personnel, and Ireland fits the bill.

There is no downside to bringing in Ireland from Seattle's perspective, and based on how successful the Seahawks have been in recent years, one has to give them the benefit of the doubt whenever they make a move like this.

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