Dolphins hold visit, negotiating deal with former Falcons tight end Jonnu Smith
The Dolphins have needed a pass-catching tight end since Mike Gesicki departed last offseason, and they could be in the process of adding one.
Former Atlanta Falcons tight end Jonnu Smith had a visit with the team on Tuesday, a league source told the Miami Herald. The two sides are in contract negotiations.
Smith, who turns 29 in August, was released last week after one season in Atlanta. He’s eligible to sign with a team immediately and does not have to wait until the start of the new league year next Wednesday.
In his lone season with the Falcons, Smith appeared in all 17 games (six starts) and caught 50 passes for 582 yards and three touchdowns.
A third-round pick of the Titans in 2017, Smith played the first four seasons of his career in Tennessee. He signed a four-year deal worth $50 million with the New England Patriots in the 2021 offseason. But Smith totaled just 55 catches for 539 yards and one touchdown in two seasons. Last offseason, New England traded Smith to the Falcons for a 2023 seventh-round pick and Smith reworked his contract to facilitate the deal.
In seven seasons, Smith has recorded 219 catches for 2,423 yards and 20 touchdowns. He had a career-high 41 catches for 448 yards and eight touchdowns in 2020. While Smith is an accomplished pass-catching tight end, he’s primarily operated from an inline alignment, as opposed to lining up in the slot; this ability to block could appeal to head coach Mike McDaniel, who often asks his tight ends to execute blocking duties.
Smith, 6-3 and 248-pounds, played college football at FIU.
Since McDaniel arrived as head coach, tight ends have been sparsely utilized in the passing game. In the 2023 season, the Dolphins threw a league-low 52 passes to their tight ends. Miami was also the only team in the NFL that did not have a tight end catch a touchdown pass.
Durham Smythe, Julian Hill and Tanner Conner are the only tight ends under contract for the 2024 season.
ESPN first reported the Dolphins hosted Smith on a visit.
This story may be updated.
This story was originally published March 5, 2024 at 8:16 PM.
