Dolphins Camp Preview: Tight Ends
The Miami Dolphins made a lot of changes this offseason hoping to make the playoffs for the first time since 2017 and win a playoff game for the first time since 2000.
The team hired former 49ers offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel as its head coach, acquired highly touted offensive players like offensive tackle Terron Armstead and Tyreek Hill, and kept their entire 2021 starting defense together.
In order to prepare fans for a pivotal season, we’ve decided to break down each positional group on the roster by giving an outlook for each player, awarding superlatives, and analyzing key questions.
We continue our series with the tight ends.
DOLPHINS TIGHT END OUTLOOKS
Mike Gesicki
2021 Stats: 73 receptions, 708 receiving yards, 2 receiving TDs, 10.68 yards per catch
2022 Outlook: Gesicki will play the 2022 season on the franchise tag after the deadline to sign an extension that would kick in this season passed without a deal. The former second-round pick has been a cornerstone of Miami’s offense for the past three seasons.
However, Gesicki will have a new test this season: adapting to head coach Mike McDaniel’s scheme. Gesicki isn’t a good blocker, and tight ends under McDaniel usually have been at least above-average run blockers.
Gesicki will have to prove he can be a functional run blocker while also maintaining his receiving prowess if he wants to earn a long-term contract from the Dolphins.
Durham Smythe
2021 Stats: 34 receptions, 357 receiving yards, 0 receiving TDs, 10.5 yards per catch
2022 Outlook: Smythe finished with career highs in both receiving yards and receptions last season serving as Gesicki’s backup, and the team’s leading in-line blocker at the position.
For this season, Smythe has a chance to prove he’s closer to the traditional tight end fit in McDaniel’s scheme than Gesicki. While Smythe has more experience playing in line and is a better blocker than Gesicki, he’s had his own struggles in that arena.
Smythe received just a 50.7 run-blocking grade from PFF, and the film shows a player who struggles to deal with powerful defensive lineman. Smythe is a solid backup, and the Dolphins thought enough of him to re-sign him to a two-year contract as a UFA this offseason.
Adam Shaheen
2021 Stats: 12 receptions, 110 receiving yards, 0 receiving touchdowns, 9.17 yards per catch
2022 Outlook: Last season, Shaheen served as a quasi-backup for both Gesicki and Smythe as he took 37 percent of his snaps from the slot and 50 percent in line.
Shaheen is a better receiver than blocker thanks to his impressive physical size and ability to make contested catches in the air. He likely will function as a third option again in 2022 while lining up both in the slot and in line consistently.
Hunter Long
2021 Stats: 1 reception, 8 receiving yards, 0 receiving TDs, 8 yards per catch
2022 Outlook: After being selected in the third round of the 2021 NFL draft, Long spent most of last season on the bench. He played in seven games and was credited with two starts but played just 84 offensive snaps.
Long’s college film showed a player who was both a capable receiver and blocker, making him an ideal fit in McDaniel’s offense for this season. He’ll have to jump Smythe and Shaheen on the depth chart, and it’s hard to imagine he’ll get a ton of targets over Gesicki.
Long has an opportunity to prove he should be Gesicki’s successor, but first he’ll have to prove he should be on the field consistently.
Cethan Carter
2021 Stats: 2 receptions, 16 receiving yards, 0 receiving touchdowns, 8 yards per catch
2022 Outlook: Carter is a player who can fill a lot of different tight end roles in a pinch. He can line up in line and provide serviceable blocking and even play fullback if needed.
Carter’s most likely role with the 2022 Dolphins will be playing on special teams where he can make an impact as both a blocker and defender.
Tanner Conner
2021 College Stats (WR at Idaho State): 34 receptions, 685 receiving yards, 3 receiving TDs, 20.14 yards per catch
2022 Outlook: Conner signed with the Dolphins as a UDFA following the end of the 2022 NFL draft. He played wide receiver at Idaho State, but his 6-2, 230-pound frame does project well to tight end.
Conner is an athletic freak who recorded a 4.37 40-yard dash, jumped 39.5 inches in the vertical, and jumped 10 feet, 7 inches in the broad jump. His 40 time and vertical jump both ranked in the 90th percentile for wide receivers.
He’s a long shot to make the roster but given his athletic gifts, he might be worth keeping on the practice squad while he develops.
DOLPHINS TIGHT END SUPERLATIVES
Best Receiver: Mike Gesicki
Best Red Zone Threat: Mike Gesicki
Best Run Blocker: Durham Smythe
Best Pass Blocker: Durham Smythe
Breakout Candidate: Hunter Long
KEY DOLPHINS QUESTIONS AT TE
How will Gesicki fit into McDaniel’s offense?
As mentioned earlier in his 2022 outlook, Gesicki isn’t exactly a seamless fit into McDaniel’s offense based on what he did with the 49ers. Typically, tight ends in that scheme have to be at least functional run blockers, which Gesicki isn’t.
However, Gesicki is one of Miami’s most talented playmakers and a big-play threat down the field who can capitalize on mismatches as well as anyone. That is something the Dolphins still need even though they added players like Hill and Cedrick Wilson this offseason.
How successfully Gesicki and McDaniel work together to blend Gesicki’s skill set and McDaniel’s scheme together will be a huge indicator of whether the tight end will get an offer for a contract extension.
Who is going to be Miami’s primary in-line blocker?
Miami’s tight end room doesn’t have a player who has shown above-average run blocking ability at the NFL level. A lot of that responsibility has gone to Smythe in previous seasons, but he’s largely struggled.
Shaheen and Gesicki are both better receivers than blockers, while Carter primarily fills a role on special teams. That leaves Long, who did block at an average level while at Boston College.
This is Long’s best chance to see extended action this season and beyond. If he can prove to be the team’s best option on in-line plays while also winning on play-action concepts, he might earn himself a starting spot.
This looks like a pretty big weakness on the Dolphins roster unless Smythe gets a lot better, and Long starts to live up to his draft-day billing.
How much will Miami’s tight ends impact the passing game?
Last season, Gesicki and Smythe finished second and fifth on the team in catches, respectively. However, Miami has added significantly more playmakers to the roster this season like Hill, Wilson, and running back Chase Edmonds, who would have finished fourth on the team in catches last season.
While those players likely will take a chunk out of the tight end’s production, the Dolphins' new scheme has historically been a “run first” scheme. The 2021 49ers finished fifth in the NFL in rushing attempts and had the fourth-fewest passing attempts in the NFL.
For comparison, the Dolphins had the eight-most passing attempts last season and ranked 18th in rushing attempts.
The Dolphins are going to run the ball more often in 2022, and there are more talented pass catchers to garner touches than the tight ends. The Dolphins finding a way to effectively use players like Gesicki while also keeping them happy could be a challenge for the coaching staff in 2022.
