2021 NFL free agency preview: If Gesicki contract talks stall, Henry solid Plan B for Dolphins

Free agency begins March 17. Who are the best players available? And will the Dolphins make a play for them? We explore in this series of player profiles ahead of the league new year.

Hunter Henry

2020 team: Los Angeles Chargers.

Position: Tight end.

Age: 26.

ESPN free agent ranking: 5.

2020 stats: Fourteen games (all starts), 60 catches on 93 targets, 10.2 yards per reception, 4 touchdowns, 2.2 percent drop rate, 69.3 Pro Football Focus grade.

2020 salary: $10.6 million.

Market value (per Spotrac): Four years, $43.8 million.

Player summary: Henry tore his ACL in 2018 but seemed to be all the way back in 2020. He caught a career-high 60 balls — eighth-most among tight ends — on the franchise tag last year. The Chargers, who have the league’s ninth-most salary cap space and a young quarterback who needs more, not fewer, weapons, could easily afford to tag him again at a little under $13 million. Henry’s strong blocking ability is hidden value, part of the reason why ESPN mused last month that he could fetch upwards of $15 million annually on the open market, although that seems a touch high to us.

Likelihood he joins the Dolphins: Low-moderate. Between now and March 17, the Dolphins (if they haven’t already) need to seriously engage Mike Gesicki in extension talks. If a reasonable deal can be struck, do so. But if he wants ridiculous money, Henry would be an fine Plan B. In that scenario, the Dolphins could either keep Gesicki for a final season and have a lethal two-tight end offense in 2021 before letting him walk for a comp pick in 2022, or include trade him — potentially as part of a package for Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson.

Quotable: “There’s a large drop between the truly elite receiving tight ends, such as Travis Kelce and George Kittle, to the larger second tier where Henry belongs. That said, second-tier tight ends still provide a lot of WAR value relative to non-receiving positions, and a few of Henry’s comps had outstanding stretches in their age-26 and age-27 seasons. ... We expect that Henry will receive a longer contract worth around $12 million per season, slightly overpriced for his median outcome and a material discount for his ceiling. Henry will likely get a longer-term deal this offseason, but the Los Angeles Chargers could also choose to use a second franchise tag if necessary.” — Pro Football Focus on Hunter Henry.

This story was originally published February 18, 2021 at 9:14 AM.

Adam H. Beasley

Miami Herald

305-376-2387

Adam Beasley has covered the Dolphins for the Miami Herald since 2012, and has worked for the newspaper since 2006. He is a graduate of Syracuse University’s S.I. Newhouse School of Communications and has written about sports professionally since 1996. Support my work with a digital subscription