Dolphins bring in tight end, receiver who combined for 20 TDs last season
The Dolphins, eager to add more tight ends behind Greg Dulcich, are bringing in North Carolina State’s Justin Joly, a skilled receiver, for a predraft visit, a league source confirmed.
Joly, who is 6-3 ½ and 241 pounds, caught 49 passes for 489 yards and seven touchdowns for the Wolfpack last season. In his one previous season at NC State in 2024, Joly caught 43 passes for 661 yards and four TDs.
He played his first two seasons at Connecticut, catching 74 passes for 828 yards and four TDs.
NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein sizes him up this way: “Undersized pass-catcher with the ability to expand the route tree and challenge man coverage around the field. Joly still needs to polish his route-running, but he has the footwork and athletic traits to uncover. He doesn’t catch with much hand extension and fights throws on occasion but he makes up for it with impressive body control/catch toughness. His effort and strain as a blocker need to improve. Joly has the ability to contribute as a moveable “F” tight end.”
Among his strengths, per Zierlein: “Possesses good wingspan with huge hands… Sturdy and strong with ability to catch through heavy contact…. Has the hips and feet to run routes on all three levels …. Good leaper with basketball body control to lean and adjust to the throw.”
On the flip side, Joly “wasn’t as splashy or sure-handed in 2025 compared to his 2024 tape. Drifts on route turns, opening a door for defenders to undercut… Has some trouble securing throws that are sent to his back shoulder/hip… Lacks consistent positioning, hand usage and strain as a blocker.”
Joly also is taking 30 visits to Carolina, Kansas City, Tennessee and Denver.
In an odd twist, ESPN’s Matt Miller mocks Joly to Denver with the 111th pick — which is the fourth-rounder that Miami dealt to the Broncos in the Jaylen Waddle deal that netted the Dolphins picks in the first, third and fourth rounds.
The Dolphins appear comfortable with Dulcich as their starting tight end.
Asked by ESPN’s Kevin Clark to name the player he’s most excited to see take a potential leap in 2026: Sullivan said “Dulcich. He had a really good back end to the season. I want to see if he can build on that; that’s why we brought him back.”
The Dolphins made an offer to Julian Hill in free agency, but he took a much more lucrative offer from the Patriots, a deal which will pay him at least $15 million over three years if he remains on the team. The deal could be worth as much as $18 million. Miami’s offer averaged less than $3.5 million per year.
Miami signed former Packers and Vikings tight end Ben Sims as a potential replacement; Sims is a skilled in-line blocker but has only 11 career receptions for 93 yards in 45 games and eight starts.
Darren Waller remains a free agent and isn’t expected back.
Zack Kuntz, Jalin Conyers and Cole Turner are the other Dolphins tight ends under contract.
Turner has 13 receptions for 143 yards in 23 games and three starts, mostly for Washington in 2022 and 2023. He didn’t play a snap in 2024 and played only one game, with no snaps on offense, last season, for Tennessee.
Kuntz has appeared in two NFL games — one for Jets in both 2023 and 2024.
Conyers signed with Miami as an undrafted free agent after last year’s draft but spent the season on injured reserve.
This and that
Add Cincinnati receiver Cyrus Allen to the list of Dolphins’ 30 visits, per Aryi Pulli. He’s visiting the Dolphins on Friday.
Allen caught 61 passes for 674 yards and a Conference USA-leading 13 touchdown passes last season. He previously played at Louisiana Tech (68-1,278-8 TDs in two seasons) and at Texas A&M (18-269-1 TD in one season).
Pro Football Focus rates Allen its 145th-best prospect in the draft.
▪ A slew of prospects who attended UM or FIU or high school locally are working out for the Dolphins on Friday during their annual local day. While a few UM prospects won’t be there because of conflicts with 30 visits elsewhere or other commitments, several — including left tackle Markel Bell — are expected to attend.
The long list of non-UM and non-FIU attendees includes, among others, UNLV and ex-Miami Pace High defensive back Jaheem Joseph (four career picks at Northwestern, West Virginia and UNLV), Illinois and ex-Hollywood Chaminade-Madonna cornerback Torrie Cox Jr. (eight career interceptions in three years at Ohio and two at Illinois) and former Fort Lauderdale Cardinal Gibbons running back Coleman Bennett, who ran for 764 yards on 4.9 per carry for Kennesaw State last season.
This story was originally published April 10, 2026 at 9:26 AM.
