After a breakout 2019, could Miami Dolphins TE Mike Gesicki see a reduced role in 2020?
Improvement and necessity turned Mike Gesicki into a legitimate NFL threat in 2019.
The Miami Dolphins were talent bereft, and Gesicki — the athletic tight end selected in the second round of the 2018 draft — was one of their few ascendant offensive weapons.
Gesicki became Miami’s de facto slot receiver the second half of the season, and he responded by shattering personal records in catches (51), yards (570) and touchdowns (5).
But 2020 is not 2019. And the Dolphins have options available to them now that they did not then.
They have several promising young wide receivers who were either hurt or not on the roster last year.
But Gesicki’s biggest threat to playing time might be Adam Shaheen, the fourth-year tight end acquired in a trade from the Chicago Bears a month ago.
Through three weeks of practice, Shaheen has proven himself capable, and he might be the team’s most complete tight end.
“I think there’s a ton of competition in our room,” Gesicki said Monday, when asked of the possibility that his snaps could drop this year. “That’s just going to bring out the best out of everybody. ... A ton of talent. Everybody’s making plays, whether it’s the run game, pass game, pass pro. For me, I love it. I think it’s exciting. I think it’s something we can continue to build on.”
Gesicki was on the field for 65 percent of the Dolphins’ offensive plays in 2019, third behind DeVante Parker (83.9) and Ryan Fitzpatrick (81.4) among Miami’s skill position players. That usage rate ranked 17th among all NFL tight ends.
But Gesicki’s usage was in part a reflection of the Dolphins’ thinness at his position. Basically he and Durham Smythe were the only Dolphins tight ends who saw the field.
Smythe’s usage rate (44.7 percent) ranked fifth among Dolphins quarterbacks, receivers, running backs and tight ends.
Smythe and Gesicki were two of very few Dolphins players available for all 16 games last year. Since entering the league together in 2018, they have combined to appear in 31 of a possible 32 games (with Smythe missing just one his rookie year).
They have something else in common: Having to deal with type-casting — Gesicki as the playmaker who struggles to block, Smythe as the road-grader who isn’t a threat in the passing game — that’s so well-established, they joke about it among themselves.
“I’ll call him an extended tackle,” Gesicki said. “I’ll joke around with him, but honestly, he’s done a really good job this training camp making a ton of plays in the pass game. And he’ll joke around with me, tell me I should be in the receivers’ room, all that kind of stuff. Me and Durham are best friends. We’ve got a really good relationship.”
Gesicki and Smythe spent part of the offseason working together to improve each other’s weaknesses. Gesicki would give pointers on route-running and releases, and then quiz his friend on run-blocking footwork and technique.
The instruction seems to have worked. Smythe has been particularly impressive in the passing game during Dolphins training camp.
Despite their improvement, the Dolphins still felt compelled to add Shaheen, who reported to the team with a great draft pedigree but just 26 career catches. Perhaps the change in scenery helped, however, as he’s flashed in training camp.
And if he does get a substantial number of snaps once the season begins, logic suggests they will come at Gesicki’s expense — assuming Shaheen stays healthy. He has appeared in just 14 games the previous two seasons.
Dolphins tight ends coach George Godsey said in mid-August that Shaheen is “gradually grasping the offense. ... He’s put a lot of effort and it’s really commendable on catching up honestly from a mental standpoint. And then physically, there’s obviously history of him not being out there on the field. He’s been working hard in the training room and to get out there, continue to improve his reps and then continue to show some production from especially a blocking standpoint. It’s hard in the preseason to get everybody the ball.
“He has definitely some touchdown background, let’s call it, in the NFL; so we know he can catch the ball. But when you’re trying to evaluate an extra group of running backs, some extra receivers, all the different quarterbacks, trying to rotate that, it’s complex in getting the ball distributed to everybody.”
This story was originally published August 31, 2020 at 2:36 PM.
