Dolphins Camp Countdown: Tight Ends
As the Miami Dolphins prepare for the start of training camp, we break down every position with a look back at what happened in the offseason, what to watch in the summer and what might happen in the regular season.
We continue the series with the tight ends.
ON THE ROSTER
• Jibri Blount — Rookie out of North Carolina Central; entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent
• Cethan Carter — Fifth-year player out of Nebraska; entered the NFL in 2017 as an undrafted free agent
• Mike Gesicki — Fourth-year player out of Penn State; entered the NFL as a second-round pick of the Dolphins in 2018
• Hunter Long — Rookie out of Boston College; third-round pick of the Dolphins in 2021
• Chris Myarick — First-year player out of Temple; entered the NFL in 2019 as an undrafted free agent
• Adam Shaheen — Fifth year out of Ashland; entered the NFL as a second-round pick of the Chicago Bears in 2017
• Durham Smythe — Fourth year out of Notre Dame; entered the NFL as a fourth-round pick of the Dolphins in 2018
2021 TRANSACTIONS
Jan. 5— Myarick signed to a futures contract
March 19 — Signed Carter as an unrestricted free agent from the Cincinnati Bengals
April 30 — Selected Long in the third round of the 2021 NFL draft
May 6 — Signed Blount as a rookie free agent
2020 STATS
Gesicki: 9 starts, 53 catches, 703 yards, 13.3 average, 6 touchdowns
Smythe: 13 starts, 26 catches, 208 yards, 8.0 average, 2 touchdowns
Shaheen: 5 starts, 12 catches, 150 yards, 12.5 average, 3 touchdowns
2020 RECAP
The Dolphins got a lot of mileage out of their tight ends last season; in fact, the production was unprecedented. The 11 combined touchdowns amounted to a team-record total for the position (not a huge total, we know), topped by Gesicki's six scores. Gesicki continued his steady progress and got the most snaps, though it was Smythe who started the most games at tight end for a second consecutive year. Shaheen proved a solid third option after coming off in a summer trade with the Bears and was rewarded with a contract extension.
OFFSEASON RECAP
The Dolphins were in a position to do nothing at tight end in the offseason because they had their top three guys coming back, but they went ahead and took Hunter Long in the third round of the draft. That suggests they might be looking ahead to next offseason when both Gesicki and Smythe are scheduled to become unrestricted free agents. The Dolphins also added Cethan Carter as an unrestricted free agent, but that move was done mostly with special teams in mind.
THE TOP SUMMER STORYLINES
Seems pretty clear the thing to watch in training camp will be Long's progress and what it means for his role as a rookie. Given the contract status at the position, it also might not be the most shocking thing to see the Dolphins made a summer trade involving a tight end for a second consecutive year, although this one would see a player leave.
LONG SHOT TO WATCH
This clearly has to be Blount, who joined the Dolphins after playing basketball at North Carolina Central. Given his lack of football experience, it's not likely Blount will be able to make the kind of impact that would earn him a roster spot, but there have been other basketball-to-football success stories in the past and he's certainly got the genes — his father is Hall of Famer Mel Blount.
THE KEY SUMMER BATTLE
It doesn't take a math genius to figure out that something is going to have to give at tight end because the Dolphins aren't going to cut Long after drafting him or Carter after signing him as a UFA and they've got their three guys back from last year. It's just really difficult, if not impossible, to see the Dolphins keeping five tight ends and maybe what happens in training camp will be a determining factor in who winds up leaving.
BETTER OR WORSE THAN THIS TIME LAST YEAR
The additions of Long and Carter have clearly improved the tight end position, which we remind everyone did not include Shaheen at the start of last training camp.
PROJECTED OPENING-DAY STARTER
Even though Gesicki is the marquee player at the position and has played the most snaps the past two seasons, it's Smythe who has started the most games because of his blocking ability. So the best projection here is that Smythe will start the opener at New England on Sept. 12 even if Gesicki winds up playing more snaps.
