Dolphins make a change with playing time at tight end. And coach reacts to kicker slump

In a move that has gone largely under the radar, the Dolphins have a new playing time leader at tight end the past two weeks. And it’s the player who — just a few months ago — seemed most at risk of losing snaps this season.

For the first time in his young career, Durham Smythe has led Dolphins tight ends in usage each of the past two weeks. He played 76 offensive snaps combined in losses to the Cowboys and Chargers, compared with 56 for Mike Gesicki and 51 for Nick O’Leary.

Smythe, the team’s fourth-round pick in the 2018 draft, downplayed that last week, saying the Dolphins are simply using more of the packages that he’s a part of. But tight ends coach George Godsey indicated Smythe’s rise is snaps is an indication that the Dolphins are pleased with his work.

“Durham’s got… size where he can help us on normal downs and a little bit of some other things from a pass protection and a route standpoint that we like,” Godsey said. “The more he’s out there, the more he’s doing the right thing.”

When the Dolphins signed skilled blocking tight end Dwayne Allen in February, it appeared Smythe might not have a significant role. But Allen was released in August, and Smythe is considered the best run blocker of the three remaining tight ends.

Smythe has been thrown only two passes all season — he has one catch for 24 yards — but Pro Football Focus said he has been the eighth-best run-blocking tight end in the NFL during the first month of the season.

O’Leary, who has eight catches for 34 yards, is rated by PFF as the best pass-blocking tight end in football.

As for Gesicki, his numbers are modest (six catches, 51 yards), but he has been thrown only 11 passes in four games.

He continues to have fewer opportunities than Baltimore’s Mark Andrews, who was selected 86th — 44 spots after Gesicki — in the 2018 draft; Andrews has 23 catches for 266 yards and three touchdowns while playing around a better group of players.

Last season, Gesicki struggled to get open at times. Has that improved?

“It’s something that I talk to him about every day, that in the role he’s at which is mainly as a pass-receiving tight end, when you go in the game, most people know that that’s what you’re about to do,” Godsey said. “So every route that he runs, it has to be the top of his technique, the top of his route stem, everything has to be on point.

“He’s growing in that area. Sometimes he’s open and maybe the ball is directed somewhere else and other times when we’re at the point of attack, maybe it’s not. I still see a lot of improvement from him. I think I see a ton from last year.”

What’s disappointing is that Gesicki has no touchdowns in 20 NFL games and hasn’t had the opportunity to become a red zone threat; that was one of the primary reasons former coach Adam Gase lobbied for his selection in the draft. Why hasn’t that happened?

“You earn that in practice,” Godsey said. “From Mike’s perspective, if the ball is thrown at him, we’ve got to go out and catch it.”

Gesicki’s blocking, which was substandard last season, has improved. Pro Football Focus ranks 34 tight ends worse than Gesicki as a run blocker and 13 worse than him as a pass blocker.

For the season, Gesicki still leads Dolphins tight ends in snaps with 124, compared with 114 for Smythe and 85 for O’Leary.

INJURY UPDATE

Receiver Allen Hurns, who sustained a head injury in the Dallas game, remains in concussion protocol but is doing “much better” and participating in meetings, coach Brian Flores said.

Both Hurns and receiver Albert Wilson, who missed the past three games with a calf injury, were spotted at practice wearing red noncontact jerseys.

Left tackle Jesse Davis, who missed the Chargers game, practiced with a brace to protect his upper arm injury and said he intends to play in Miami’s next game Oct. 13 against visiting Washington.

▪ Among those also missing from practice: cornerback Xavien Howard and center Daniel Kilgore (both got a rest day on a bye week), receiver Jakeem Grant (who left Sunday’s game with a hamstring injury), cornerback Jomal Wiltz (missed Sunday’s game with a groin injury) and linebacker Trent Harris (played the past two weeks but dealing with a foot injury).

▪ Kicker Jason Sanders already has missed more field goals in a month (three) than he did his entire rookie season (two). Sanders, who was 18 for 20 last season, is 4 for 7 this season, having missed one from 47 and two — against the Chargers — from 50 and 52.

“He’s going to be fine,” said special teams coach Danny Crossman, who replaced Darren Rizzi in that role. “We’ve got no issues. We have all of the confidence in the world in him. I treat him no different than if he had made every kick. Nothing’s changed. We’re not concerned at all.”

Rizzi, now with the Saints, checked in with Sanders a couple times during the summer to say hello and wish him well.

▪ By league rule, Dolphins players will get four consecutive days off. Teams have flexibility with those days, but Flores will give his players Thursday through Sunday off after conducting a practice in pads on Wednesday.

This story was originally published October 2, 2019 at 3:20 PM.