Dolphins Banking on Growth From Travis Kelce's Understudy
There are major benefits that come from playing behind a legend at a position, and the Miami Dolphins are hopeful that one of the team’s young free agent additions soaked up all the knowledge he could have gained from Travis Kelce.
Jody Fortson, a former college receiver, spent the past five seasons in Kansas City learning how to become a tight end from the future Hall of Famer, and at this point in his career the 28-year-old knows it’s time to deliver on upside that once had this former Valdosta State standout viewed as an undrafted gem.
“It’s about getting a chance, an opportunity to go out there and show what you can do,” said Fortson, who had $425,000 of his one-year, $1.2 million contract with the Dolphins guaranteed.
Dolphins coveted Fortson's upside
When the Chiefs decided against using a $2.8 million tender to retain the restricted free agent, the Dolphins were aggressive, luring the oft-injured tight end who has pulled in 14 receptions for 155 yards and scored four touchdowns in the 19 NFL games he's played.
Fortson saw the Dolphins offense, and the tight end depth chart as an ideal opportunity to take his career to the next level.
“Everybody looks good on paper, but when you get out there, it’s about letting the training wheels off and let’s see what he can do,” said Fortson, who missed last season because of a shoulder injury he had surgically repaired last August. “That’s where we are right now. It’s about, all right, well, let’s see what he can do.”
Fortson becomes the second tight end Miami has added this offseason, joining Jonnu Smith, a seven-year veteran the Dolphins signed to a two-year deal that could be worth up to $10 million. Smith is a run after the catch weapon, while Fortson supposedly is a jump ball target.
It’s clear that head coach Mike McDaniel plans to follow up on something he told former NFL tight end turned television analyst Greg OIsen last season, which is that unlocking the tight end role in his third year of building Miami’s offense is what's next on his agenda.
Dolphins want to juice up tight end production
While Durham Smythe finished third on the team with 35 receptions, which he turned into 366 yards, his numbers were artificially inflated at the end of the season because of all the injuries Miami was experiencing at receiver in December and January.
Miami’s tight ends didn’t score a single touchdown last season. The year before they contributed six touchdowns, with Mike Gesicki accounting for five of them.
The hope is that Fortson, who was mentored by Kelce, will help Miami threaten the seams of defenses like Gesicki once did, attacking linebackers in Miami’s two tight end packages, and become more productive in the red zone.
“Travis Kelce is my favorite teammate of all time on any level — Pop Warner, high school, college,” Fortson said. “Not only because he took his time trying to teach me the role of being a tight end, but just because of how a great person he is.
“Being in a room with Kelce, it probably — not probably, it definitely set me forward light years of where I would have been had I not had arguably the greatest of all time in that room.”
Fortson provided an example of the mentorship Kelce provided, telling a story of how Kelce informed him he shouldn’t run every route all out, and that sometimes it benefits a tight end to take a little something off his route speed-wise.
Fortson is confident he has plenty to offer the Dolphins considering he was part of three Super Bowl-winning teams.
“I just think it brings a winner’s attitude, a winner’s mind-set,” said Fortson, who was listed at 6-4, 230 pounds. “Everybody here knows I’ve been with the Chiefs my entire career. We’ve won there. I might not have had the role that I like, but I know what it takes to win.”
This season Fortson will have every opportunity to carve out his ideal role, and it’ll be interesting to see if the lessons and mentorship Kelce provided will make him one of the most underrated free agent additions of this offseason.
“What I inherited from my time being with Kansas City is the discipline to win, the seriousness behind it of what it takes," Fortson said. "You’re just not going to wake up one day and just be a winner. You’ve got to do it. You’ve got to constantly chip at it every single day.”
