Dolphins position review: Will Miami be able to keep its free agent tight ends?
In what was a disappointing season for the Dolphins offense, a pair of tight ends had career numbers in contract years. The front office must now decide whether to keep the duo, just one or let both walk in free agency. In the fifth of a series of position reviews, the Miami Herald will examine the team’s tight end situation. Next up is defensive line.
2021 in review
When former tights end coach George Godsey was tapped to be co-offensive coordinator and it was later divulged he was calling plays, his position group figured to be an integral part of the offense. The Dolphins used 12 personnel [one running back, two tight ends, two wide receivers] on 61 percent of their plays, by far the highest rate in the NFL. As expected, the team’s tight ends were the beneficiary of those packages; Mike Gesicki and Durham Smythe both recorded career-high marks in receptions and yards. It was the perfect time for good friends Gesicki and Smythe, who are pending unrestricted free agents.
Depth Chart
Mike Gesicki
▪ Skinny: Gesicki continued to cement his status as one of the league’s better pass-catching tight ends in 2021. His 73 catches tied Randy McMichael for most in a season by a Dolphins tight end and his 780 receiving yards only trailed McMichael. Gesicki remains an enigma because of his below-average run blocking, but his production in the passing game should set himself up well in free agency.
▪ Contract: Gesicki, 26, is headed for unrestricted free agency.
Durham Smythe
▪ Skinny: Smythe was drafted in the same 2018 class as Gesicki and saw similar success as the No. 2 tight end, recording 34 catches for 347 yards. His 716 snaps only trailed Gesicki, wide receiver Jaylen Waddle and quarterback Tua Tagovailoa among offensive skill position players.
▪ Contract: Smythe, 26, is headed for unrestricted free agency.
Adam Shaheen
▪ Skinny: Shaheen played in 12 games, recording 12 catches for 110 yards. He missed the first game of the season because of a positive coronavirus test and another four because of a nagging knee injury.
▪ Contract: Shaheen, 27, is entering the final year of a two-year extension he signed in 2020. He has a cap hit of $2,184,805.
Hunter Long
▪ Skinny: Long, the team’s third-round pick in the 2021 Draft, played sparingly as a rookie. He appeared in seven games, catching one pass for 8 yards.
▪ Contract: Long, 23, is entering the second year of a four-year rookie contract. He has a cap hit of $1,129,249.
Cethan Carter
▪ Skinny: Carter was almost exclusively used on special teams. He had 52 snaps on offense but his 268 special- teams snaps ranked sixth on the Dolphins.
▪ Contract: Carter, 26, is entering the second year of a three-year contract. He has a cap hit of $2,525,000.
Offseason questions
1. Is Gesicki’s future in Miami?
There are two schools of thought when it comes to Gesicki. There’s the belief that his less-than-stellar reputation as a blocker telegraphs that the offense is going to pass when he’s on the field and he’s not worth a contract befitting a top tight end. And there’s that the belief that his production as a pass-catcher is worth ignoring his limitations in the run game. George Kittle’s blocking was an integral part of San Francisco’s running game with new Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel but his comments that he’ll tailor the offense to his personnel lends one to belief Gesicki has a good chance to stay in Miami.
Gesicki didn’t reveal much about the state of contract negotiations during the season but repeatedly said he wants to remain with the organization that drafted him in 2018. The one-year franchise tag for tight ends is projected to be worth about $10.8 million, a little less than Gesicki would likely make on the open market. The four-year, $57 million deal signed by the Philadelphia Eagles’ Dallas Goedert, who was selected in the same draft and has comparable stats, is a good reference for Gesicki in his negotiations.
2. Will tight ends continue to be the focal point of the offense?
In San Francisco, McDaniel and the 49ers used 12 personnel 10 percent of the time, one of the lowest rates in the NFL. Instead, the 49ers relied on 21 personnel [two running backs, one tight end, one wide receiver] on a league-high 34 percent of plays, with the extra back more often than not being Pro Bowl fullback Kyle Juscyck. Gesicki, Smythe and Shaheen all logged some snaps in the backfield but the Dolphins under McDaniel would likely seek a more prototypical fullback/H-back to fill that role.
3. Can Hunter Long break out as a sophomore?
In what was a strong year for Dolphins rookies, Long failed to make a mark as one of the team’s top selections. He ultimately couldn’t carve out a role in 2021 but could be asked to do so out of necessity in 2022 with Gesicki and Smythe slated to hit free agency. New tights end coach Jon Embree will play a big role in Long’s second-year development and he oversaw Kittle becoming an All-Pro player. Kittle said “being able to start my NFL career with [Embree] was the best possible thing for me.”
Potential additions
If the Dolphins end up searching for a replacement for Gesicki, the Cowboys’ Dalton Schultz had a breakout year in 2021 and graded out as one of the league’s better run-blocking tights ends, according to Pro Football Focus. Maxx Williams is a cheaper option who is noted as a good blocker and could offer some upside in the passing game, though there are injury concerns.
In the draft, Colorado State’s Trey McBride was honored as one of the tight ends in the Senior Bowl and could be an option with one of the Dolphins’ top-two draft picks. Coastal Carolina’s Isaiah Likely is a big-bodied athletic player who could be a plug-and-play selection on Day 2.
DOLPHINS POSITION REVIEWS
OL: Will Miami splurge on offensive line in free agency?
WR: What wide receiver will complement Jaylen Waddle in 2022?
RB: Will Miami finally use a high draft pick on a running back?
QB: Dolphins appear all-in on Tagovailoa but who joins QB room?
